Series Preview: Mets at Phillies, May 5 – 8
For the third time in this young season, the Phillies will face off against their rivals, the New York Mets. With the Phillies looking to bounce back after a very disappointing series with the Rangers, they will face a very tough challenge. The Mets are coming into the series as the clear-cut leaders of the NL East.
Four runs won’t cut it
One of the four runs that the Phillies scored in the Rangers series has a significant asterisk next to it. It really should be three, for the Phillies fourth run of the series came in extra innings in game two. That run would not have scored if the runner on the second rule was no longer a thing.
But the point that I am making is that the Phillies’ offense will have to come alive. A lot. In the final game of the Rangers series, the Phillies had just six hits. Three of them came from Nick Castellanos.
In this series, runs won’t come easy, but we also cannot rely on our pitching. The Mets have a very strong offense that includes Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte, and the killer of the Phillies—Brandon Nimmo. What does this mean for Phillies pitchers? They are going to have to locate their pitches and keep the ball on the ground, but the biggest thing is that they will need some luck on their side. The Mets have one of the lowest hard-hit rates as a team. This tells us that they are able to beat the shift and find holes in the infield to produce hits. So, with a little bit of luck in the first base dugout, we might be successful in this series.
Can the top of the lineup heat up?
The top of the Phillies lineup, especially the guys assuming the lead-off spot, has not performed the way that many fans anticipated. Jean Segura has struggled after starting the season off hot, and Kyle Schwarber has hit well in every spot in the lineup except for the one-hole. If the Phillies want to top the red-hot New York Mets, they are going to need the top of their lineup to start hitting more consistently. In addition to Schwarber and Schwarber, Hoskins has not hit well at all, and Harper has not lived up to the name of any of the awards that he won last year.
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Aaron Nola (RHP, 1-3, 3.90 ERA) vs. Taijuan Walker (RHP, 0-0, 0 ERA)
Game 2: Kyle Gibson (RHP, 2-1, 2.93 ERA) vs. Max Scherzer (RHP, 4-0, 2.61 ERA)
Game 3: Zach Eflin (RHP, 1-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. Chris Bassitt (RHP, 3-2, 2.61 ERA)
Game 4: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 2-1, 4.63 ERA) vs. Carlos Carrasco (RHP, 1-1, 4.09 ERA)
The numbers
- Run Differential:
- Phillies: 5
- Mets: 31
- Runs Scored Per Game:
- Phillies: 4.44
- Mets: 4.44
- Runs Allowed Per Game:
- Phillies: 4.24
- Mets: 3.3
Game times and broadcasts
- Thursday, May 5, at 6:45pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
- Friday, May 6, at 7:05pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
- Saturday, May 7, at 4:05pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
- Sunday, May 8, at 1:35pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
