Series Preview: Phillies at Mets

Following a series loss in Washington, the Phillies (19-27) travel to New York to take on the struggling Mets (24-21). New York holds second place in the NL East, but they have not been playing very good baseball of late. The Mets were just swept in a 3-game series in Pittsburgh, and have lost 5 of their last 6 games.

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After a 9-1 loss to the Buccos, Mets Manager Terry Collins had seen enough, and held a team meeting yesterday. Afterward he explained, “We’re just not executing… For five years, the effort has never been a question. We’ve just got to go back and start doing the little things. And this is not about who is not here. This is about who is here. If they’re here, they’re good enough. So we’ve got to start playing like it.”

Michael Cuddyer, a very well respected veteran, commented, “What he said was good. This series is over. We’re going to go in where we’ve been playing really well, at home, and execute — recognize situations and execute those situations.”  Today will be a good test to see if the players respond well with a new approach or quickly fall back into old habits.

The Mets’ struggling offense is headed by Lucas Duda (.293/.385/.478/ 5 HR, 19 RBI), Juan Lagares, (.270/.304/.321, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 3 SB), and Daniel Murphy (.263/.316/.381, 3 HR, 23 RBI).

The Phils offense, which experienced both highs and lows in Washington, is led by the slumping Freddy Galvis (.309/.367/.355, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 5 SB), the hot Ryan Howard (.268/.314/.550, 10 HR, 23 RBI), and the up-and-down Odubel Herrera (.263/.298/.375, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 6 SB).

The series will take place at Citi Field, which has seen changes in its outfield over the past two seasons, and is now very similar in dimensions to Citizens Bank Park. Citi Field is 335, 408, and 330 feet to left, right and center field, respectively. Citizens Bank Park runs 329, 401, 330 to those points.

SPECIAL NOTE:

Per usual, MLB will be celebrating Memorial Day with camouflage-inspired uniforms. This year’s design incorporates the camo on the bill of the cap and as filler in the letters/numbers on the jerseys.

PITCHING MATCHUPS:

Severino Gonzalez (2-1, 7.11 ERA) v. Bartolo Colon (6-3, 4.85 ERA) – Gonzalez was recalled for a 2nd time this season when Chad Billingsley hit the DL. He took advantage of the situation and earned another win with a steady start (5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 0 SO). Gonzalez will likely be hoping to last longer in this game against the Mets, because he has yet to get past five innings in three career MLB starts. Colon, his opponent, had been pitching well this year until he was shelled by the Cardinals in his last start (4.1 IP, 8 ER, 11 H, 2 BB, 4 SO). He comes into this start attempting to prove his last outing was merely an aberration.

Jerome Williams (3-4, 5.44 ERA) v. Jacob deGrom (5-4, 2.75 ERA) – Williams has been pitching at a very mediocre level these past few weeks. He was not sharp in his last start against the Rockies (5 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 0 SO), but looks to get himself rolling against a struggling Mets offense. DeGrom, on the other hand, has had a very nice season and is coming off his best start thus far (8 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 11 SO). After dominating a top-notch squad like the Cardinals, the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year looks to do the same to the Phillies and help his team get back on track.

Sean O’Sullivan (1-3, 3.54 ERA) v. Noah Syndergaard (1-2, 3.63 ERA) – Believe it or not, O’Sullivan seems to be finding a little groove. He allowed no runs in six innings against the Diamondbacks, and was once again pretty good against one of baseball’s hottest offenses in the Nationals (6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB- intentional, 3 SO). He’s very hopeful he can keep rolling on Wednesday afternoon. After a rocky MLB debut, Syndergaard seems to have settled in with two solid starts against the Brewers and Pirates. He will simply try to continue making his mark in the majors when he squares off against the Phils on Wednesday.

SERIES KEYS:

Get Cesar Hernandez At-bats – Hernandez has a .429 OBP in his last 49 plate appearances. If you abide by “Moneyball” theories, that performance merits him being in the line-up for a good portion of the series. If the Phillies do get him in, there’s a great chance he’ll reach base, and he could create havoc on the base paths which could lead to some critical runs.

Get a Road-Series Win – This obviously is not a key to winning the series, but just an accomplishment that must happen in general. The Phillies have failed to pick up a series on the road all season. They have been playing tighter and much grittier, but they could use a pick-me-up after losing a tough series in Washington. The Fightin’ Phils are long overdue for a road series win, and they are given a tremendous opportunity by being able to face a struggling Mets team. They must capitalize.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:

Game 1: Monday, 1:10 PM, TV:  CSN, Radio: 1210FM, 94AM, 1480AM (Spanish Language)

Game 2: Tuesday, 7:10 PM, TV:  CSN, Radio: 1210FM, 94AM, 1480AM (Spanish Language)

Game 3: Wednesday, 1:10 PM, TV:  CSN, Radio: 1210FM, 94AM, 1480AM (Spanish Language)

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE forecast for Citi Field in the borough of Queens in New York City

Memorial Day

Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. South wind 14 to 17 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southwest wind 13 to 17 mph.

Tuesday

Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Southwest wind 9 to 17 mph.

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southwest wind 11 to 14 mph.

Wednesday

A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. South wind 10 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.