We Meet Again: Phillies vs. Mets Series Preview, June 26–28

Following yet another comeback win, the Phillies are cruising through the week. They’ve rallied in their last three games to take a four-game set against the Nationals despite facing deficits in the seventh inning or later in all four of the games.

Their momentum will travel up I-95 and into Queens, where they are set to face off against the Mets in a three-game weekend bout — just as they had done last weekend. Since then, the Mets have had a four-game series of their own and were swept by the Cubs, dropping them to 13 games below .500 and 6.5 games back of the Nationals, who hold fourth place in the NL East.

It’s been an ugly season for the Mets, as $329,067,979 worth of players haven’t worked out due to injuries or lack of performance on the field or in the batter’s box. While you can’t count them out quite yet, if the Phillies execute this series, it would be difficult to see a path to the postseason for them.

Do It Again

Remember last time the Phils played these guys? It was only a week ago. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper made history by hitting three home runs and a cycle in the same game, and then both went yard the next day. 

Additionally, every starter except Gabriel Rincones Jr. collected a hit in the final two games of the series, in which the Phillies outscored the Mets 21-5. Not only did it bring momentum into the Nationals series, but taking those final two games put them into the Braves’ rearview mirror and may have buried the Mets at the bottom of the NL East.

Unfortunately, they won’t be able to face the same pitchers they lit up last weekend. David Peterson, who allowed five runs on Sunday, was traded to the Cubs, and Freddy Peralta, who allowed 10 runs, threw five shutout innings on Thursday night.

Nonetheless, it’s just as within the realm of possibility that Harper and Schwarber set another record against the arms the Mets are using this time around. Two of the three starters are right-handers, and the only southpaw has an 8.31 ERA with over two home runs allowed per nine innings.

And is there any better team to have historically dominant offensive nights against than the Mets?

READ MORE ON LAST WEEK’S SERIES VS. METS:

Bigger Bat, Bigger Weekend: Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber Steal the Spotlight vs. Mets

Bullpen Game

Saturday night’s matchup is shaping up to be a battle of the bullpen for both teams. With recent transactions made by the Mets, their starting pitching is thin, and Christian Scott is expected to toe the slab against Philadelphia’s own Alan Rangel.

Scott hasn’t pitched over 5.2 innings all season, and as we saw with Rangel in the Nationals’ series, the Phillies will need to deploy a few arms — not to knock Rangel’s appearance. The New York right-hander has a 3.10 ERA over 40.2 innings pitched, though he possesses a 4.47 expected ERA (xERA) this season.

It will be interesting to see how the Mets handle their short-handedness in the pitching department because Friday night’s starter will come from their Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse. They will likely need extended relief appearances from multiple bullpen arms if Friday night’s starter and Scott are unable to make it through five or six innings of work.

On the other hand, the Phillies should not have as vulnerable a bullpen. Zack Wheeler will toss Friday night, and despite recent short appearances, the right-hander is averaging six-plus innings per start. If Wheeler gives his team over six innings of work, Don Mattingly should have plenty of flexibility for the bullpen game on Saturday.

Can We Live Like This?

As fun as these last three nights have been, let’s get real: the comebacks aren’t sustainable. I hate being the bearer of bad news, but 15 runs over the course of three consecutive ninth innings is not something this offense is capable of reproducing. 

And maybe I’m wrong, but I’ve seen my fair share of Phillies postseason baseball, and this type of fight has been hard to come by in those moments.

Additionally, it’s the Nationals’ bullpen — they’ve blown 24 saves this season; you have to take it with a grain of salt, though, enjoy it.

So in this Mets series, the bats can’t wait for a reliever to struggle finding the zone before getting a lead, as they did on Thursday night. They need to jump out into one. Especially with a scheduled bullpen game on Saturday, as aforementioned, it would ease Mattingly’s stress in managing the bullpen and may save a high-leverage arm. 

Set the tone early, and don’t stop it from there.

Game Times and Broadcasts

Friday, June 26, 7:10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Saturday, June 27, 4:10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Sunday, June 28, 1:40 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 7-1, 2.11 ERA) vs. Zach Thornton (LHP, 0-1, 8.31 ERA)

Game 2: Alan Rangel (RHP, 0-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. Christian Scott (RHP, 2-0, 3.10 ERA)

Game 3: Jesus Luzardo (LHP, 6-4, 4.39 ERA) vs. TBD

By the Numbers

• Record
  • Phillies: 45-36
  • Mets: 34-47
• Run Differential
  • Phillies: +4
  • Mets: -47
• Runs Scored Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.43
  • Mets: 4.05
• Runs Allowed Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.38
  • Mets: 4.63

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