Series Preview - Mets vs. Phillies
This is the team we have been waiting for over the past two years...starting pitching, relief pitching, defense, offense, attitude, confidence, it's all clicking at the same time...next...
The first place NY Mets (79-61) take on the second place Philadelphia Phillies (76-64) at Shea Stadium. The Mets are 7-3 over their last ten games while the Phillies are 5-5. The Mets are 41-25 at home, while the Phillies are 37-35 on the road.
The Mets have a 3.0 game lead in the NL East...
If you are lucky enough to go to a game, enjoy it. This is the first huge series, of the final stretch, in the closing year, in what could be just one last magical season at William B. Shea Stadium. Awesome.
Probable pitchers are...
Friday: Mike Pelfrey, RHP (13-8, 3.66) vs. Brett Myers, RHP (8-10, 4.40)
Saturday: Pedro Martinez, RHP (5-3, 5.07) vs. Jamie Moyer, LHP (12-7, 3.80)
Sunday: Johan Santana, LHP (12-7, 2.71) vs. Cole Hamels, LHP (12-8, 3.01)
Tonight the Mets face Brett Myers, who is no longer the joke he was in the first half. He has turned it around after a few days down in the minor leagues and is 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA since the all-star break. Of course, Pelfrey continues his emergence as well and he pitches in arguably the biggest game of his career.
The Mets finally got to Jaime Moyer last time out chasing him from his start after just three innings, nine hits and six earned runs. Don't be fooled however as he still remains a consistent arm in the Philadelphia rotation. Pedro Martinez threw from flat ground yesterday and is expected to start but with Tropical Storm Hanna approaching the game may not even get played, which could give Petey an extra day.
Sunday produces a fantastic match-up. The final game of the series should be extremely intense on a National stage, and with two premiere aces on the mound.
Who knows, do the powers that be schedule a doubleheader if Saturday is rained out? Gary Cohen, Darryl Strawberry, and Ron Darling will be at the 92nd Street Y Sunday night doing an interview about the moments at Shea, and who knows where Keith will be, so that may be tough.
Mets Pen - 4.11 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, .251 BAA
Phillies Pen - 3.23 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, .252 BAA
Offensively...
Mets: .267 BA, 693 R, .340 OBP, .418 SLG, 121 SB (NL Ranks: 4th, 2nd, 5th, 8th, 2nd)
Phillies: .254 BA, 676 R, .331 OBP, .433 SLG, 113 SB (NL Ranks: 11th, 4th, 6th, 3rd, 4th)
Reyes, hot, Murphy/Evans platoon, hot, David Wright, well he'll be fine, Beltran, hot, Delgado, the sun, Church, oh boy if he is back, 7-8 rotation Jerry plays very well. Seriously, all is well in our batting order and that is something that hasn't been for a long while.
We all know the Phillies can hit, but they are out of their bandbox and their greatest weapon, the home run, gets diminished.
Notable Mets Out - Billy Wagner, John Maine, Ramon Castro, Moises Alou
Notable Phillies Out - Tom Gordon, Geoff Jenkins
I hate the Phillies, plain and simple. I think at the start of the year I hated them just to hate them, because I almost wanted a team to hate since the Braves seem long gone, the only part of the hate that remains is Larry Jones. But with Jimmy Rollins, crying and talking smack about our boys, how the Mets celebrate a big hit, I now have a genuine hate not only for him but his team. Ryan Howard thinks he's the new Babe Ruth. How about trying to hit the ball more than once every two games Ryan? Jayson Werth, So Taguchi, Geoff Jenkins? Really? Just because you get a big hit here and there, try doing it against someone other than the Mets. I hope the Mets sweep the Phillies this weekend and I hope they do it in dominating fashion.
Keys to the series: Determination and Focus. In a series like this it doesn't matter how much talent you have but how much you want to win.
