Can Philadelphia Phillies Keep Rolling In London?

Can the Philadelphia Phillies stay hot during this weekend's London Series against the New York Mets?

Jun 5, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott (5) throws to first base. / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies took care of business at home this week. After taking two of three from the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend, the Phillies swept the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, limiting them to just two runs during the three-game series.

Now it's on to London for Philadelphia following a 5-1 homestand. The Phillies will take the best record in the National League (44-19) with them across the pond, where they'll face the fourth-place New York Mets (27-35) in a two-game series this weekend.

Philadelphia enters the series red-hot, having won six of its last seven games. Its pitching staff has been phenomenal lately, allowing 12 runs over its last eight games combined.

Following off days on Thursday and Friday, the Phillies will look to pick up where they left off behind Ranger Suarez on Saturday. Suarez has been the best pitcher in baseball this year, leading MLB in wins (nine), ERA (1.70) and WHIP (0.80).

Suarez will be working on a full week of rest, and he only pitched two innings in his previous outing last Saturday before leaving early with a hand injury. After throwing just two frames over the last two weeks, he should be well-rested but may be a bit rusty. The last time he faced the Mets on May 15, he allowed two runs (both unearned) in five innings en route to a win.

The Phillies are coming! The Phillies are coming! pic.twitter.com/isnXDQpcVz

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 6, 2024

Suarez will face another lefty, Sean Manaea, who's been solid for New York. He checks in with a 3-2 record, a 3.63 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 57 innings.

While Saturday's game seems to favor Philadelphia and projects to be lower-scoring, Sunday's game looks like a slugfest. Both starting pitchers (Jose Quintana and Taijuan Walker) are veterans with ERAs on the wrong side of five, so there should be plenty of fireworks.

Both teams enter this series with a ton of momentum. The Mets are coming off a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals and have won five of their last seven. Their offense has caught fire, averaging 6.4 runs per game during that stretch.

Can the Phillies' phenomenal arms cool off New York's red-hot bats? Philadelphia took three of four when these teams last met in mid-May, outscoring the Mets 24-15. Nobody's been able to hit Suarez, but Walker's been a different story.

The Phillies are the better team and should win both games, but don't be surprised if they drop the second game and end up splitting the series.