It’s a whale of a series
The Phillies and Mets will enter this weekend’s series tied for first place in the NL East. Philadelphia has won 7 of its last 8 games while New York is on a six game losing streak. All three games are nationally televised. Temperatures for the weekend will reach the mid to upper 90s.
Needless to say, it’s going to be a fun weekend.
The series has as much stakes as a series in late June can have. Last time the two teams played, the Phillies were throughly dominated by the Mets, getting swept out of Citi Field and outscored 14-8. They led for just one half inning in that late April series, taking a 3-2 lead in the tenth inning of the finale before allowing a walk-off in the bottom of the tenth.
This weekend will be a true test for the Phillies. They have not played well against the Mets as of late. But perhaps they’re catching New York at a good time, as they are going through their worst stretch of the season so far. They also have been hit by the injury bug, as Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill have joined Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas on the injured list, making four of the Mets starters on the IL. They will have spot starter Blade Tidwell in game one against Zack Wheeler, Griffin Canning in game two against Mick Abel, and revelation David Peterson in game three against Jesús Luzardo.
Things are set up somewhat nicely for the Phillies to have success in this series. But of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s guaranteed. Just look to the NLDS for evidence of that.
So, what do you need to see from the Phillies against the Mets this weekend? Do they need to get revenge for the April sweep with a sweep of their own? Will you be satisfied with a series win? Or is the bar set to leading for at least two whole innings this time?