Phillies Look to Climb in the NL East Against Ailing Mets

The Philadelphia Phillies travel to Citi Field as they take on the NL East-leading New York Mets.

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Nearly two months of the 2022 MLB season has passed, which means each series becomes that much more pivotal for a team's playoff chances. This must be in the back of the minds' of the Philadelphia Phillies as they travel to Citi Field to face off against the New York Mets.

The Phillies are coming in off of a 2-2 series split with the Atlanta Braves, a series which could've seen the Fightins take a 3-1 series win. It would have secured them second place in the NL East, had it not been for their costly decisions during the third game on Wednesday evening.

Reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper proved to Braves fans why he earned the award in the 2021 MLB season as he hit for .473, with one home run and four RBI. Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola continued to deliver dominant performances from the mound with Wheeler going 6.2 innings with 10 strikeouts, and Nola going 8.1 innings fanning 10 batters. 

Philadelphia's offense will be on a mission to regain their confidence at Citi Field following their 2-1 series loss in late April, which featured a combined no-hitter by the Mets.

New York is coming into the series off the heels of a West Coast trip turned slugfest between the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants bringing home 38 runs across six games. This surge was propelled due to solid performances from Jeff McNeil (.364/.417/.682) and Francisco Lindor (.308/.296/.692). 

Despite their offense being on a roll, their rotation has taken a significant blow recently, as Max Scherzer was placed on the 15-Day IL with an oblique injury. An injury which may see him miss as much as eight weeks. Pair that with the indefinite absence of Jacob deGrom means the Mets may be out of their top pitchers for the series.

Let's take a look at the pitching match-ups for this series:

Game One:

Phillies Starter: Bailer Falter 0-1, 3.75

Mets Starter: Carlos Carrasco 4-1, 3.50

Bailer Falter will get the start on short notice to make his second start of the season. His first start coming against the Seattle Mariners in which he pitched 4.2 innings allowing five hits and one run.

Carlos Carrasco looks to make it two straight with his start on Friday, following his win in Colorado where he allowed seven hits with four strikeouts. Across three games against the Phillies, Carrasco has a 1-1 record with a 1.80 ERA. Philadelphia will look to break the trend of being held at bay during Friday's game. 

First Pitch: Friday, 7:10 P.M. EST

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Game Two:

Phillies Starter: Zach Eflin 1-3, 3.65

Mets Starter: Taijuan Walker 2-0, 2.70

In his previous start, Zach Eflin hurled a season-high 12 strikeouts over seven innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Perhaps the best team in baseball so far this season. Eflin will look to continue this success against another top team when he takes the mound on Saturday.

Saturday will be Taijuan Walker's fourth start against the Phillies this season, going 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA across 11 innings. Even in the start in which Walker earned the win, he allowed six runs and two walks. It may be safe to say that Philadelphia's offense has his number as they are currently batting .256/.319/.442 against Walker.

First Pitch: Saturday, 7:15 P.M. EST

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Game Three:

Phillies Starter: Zack Wheeler 3-3, 3.38

Mets Starter: TBD

The storyline going into Wheeler's start on Sunday is his recent hot streak across his previous five starts where his ERA is 1.38, holding the opposing offense to 25 hits over 32 innings. While he is on the mound during this period he has been dominant and in control with his pitches for which 70% have been thrown for strikes.

Two potential options for the Mets on Sunday could be Chris Bassitt (4-2, 3.91) or David Peterson (2-0, 2.16). Bassitt made one appearance against the Phillies back in early May, going 5.2 innings with four strikeouts. Yet, in his previous two starts, he's allowed 12 earned runs across 10.2 innings. Peterson's only appearance against Philadelphia saw him as a relief pitcher going four innings allowing three hits while striking out three batters.

First Pitch: Sunday 7:08 P.M. EST

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Players to Watch:

Phillies: Zack Wheeler

Wheeler finds himself as the Phillies' player to watch due to his recent streak of solid performances. He will also be facing his former team where he spent five seasons.

Mets: Jeff McNeil

Accumulating all that was previously said about McNeil's performance over the Mets' previous two series, it's no surprise that he finds himself as the player to watch. McNeil has made himself into a bit of a Phillies killer as he slugs .325/.396/.465 against the Fightins with five home runs and 22 RBIs.

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9. Picking the Phillies' All-Time Single Season Lineup
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