The Phillies have won 4 in a row and are now back to a .500 record. Woo hoo!
They head to Flushing, Queens to face off against the New York Mets who have the best record in all of baseball. At 14-6, the Mets have one more win than the Giants and Yankees. In their last meeting, the Phillies lost 2 out of 3 games. Their lone win took a minor miracle with a 5-run 8th inning.
Back then, the Phillies’ offense hadn’t clicked and pitchers were still being stretched out. Since Angel Hernandez facilitated a 1-0 shutout loss to the Brewers, the Phillies have scored 7 or more runs in each game of their winning streak.
They also haven’t allowed more than 5 runs in a game since their trip to Colorado. Phillies’ starters have given up just 6 runs in the last 5 games.
If the Phillies can keep the offense going, they’ll have a solid chance of winning the series and handing the Mets their first series loss of the season. The Mets haven’t scored over 6 runs since April 15th against the Diamondbacks.
Let’s check out the slated matchups.
Aaron Nola vs. Tylor Megill
In his last start, Aaron Nola looked like his best self. Sure, Angel Hernandez helped things along but he looked to be in control of his entire arsenal. He went 7 innings against the Brewers, allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 9.
Nola will need everything he has as he faces Tylor Megill. Megill is off to one of the best starts in 2022. He’s 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA. The first time he faced the Phillies in 2022, he went 5.1 IP, allowing just 3 hits. He hasn’t been untouchable in his last 2 starts as he gave up 4 runs to t and 2 to the Giants and 2 to the Diamondbacks.
Kyle Gibson vs. Taijuan Walker
Taijuan Walker will make his return from the Injured List after dealing with right shoulder bursitis. He’s pitched just 2 innings in 2022. As a betting man, I’ll shoot a guess that he allows 1 run over 4 IP and that the Phillies will blow it open in the 6th inning against Trevor May.
Anyway.
Walker’s 2021 season was very much a tale of 2 seasons. Before the All-Star break, Walker was 7-3 with a 2.66 ERA in 94.2 IP. He’d throw just 64.1 IP in the second half, going 0-8 with a 7.13 ERA.
Kyle Gibson has been just what the Phillies ordered as a 5th starter (as you can read here). He has a 3.47 ERA in 4 starts so far in 2022. He allowed 2 solo homers to the Rockies in 5.2 IP in his last start. He threw 94 pitches his last time out. Gibby should have no limitations pitch count-wise.
Zach Eflin vs. Max Scherzer
The Phillies will have to take a trip down Mad Max: Fury Road in the finale of the series. Max Scherzer has been the bonafide ace of the Mets’ staff. He has a 1.80 ERA in 25 IP through 4 starts. He leads the National League in hits allowed per 9 IP, allowing just 4 H/9. In his career, Scherzer is 15-4 with a 2.47 ERA against the Phillies.
Zach Eflin will face off against the future Hall of Famer. Eflin has been good so far in 2022, sporting a 3.20 ERA. He allowed a single ER against the Rockies last time out in 6 IP. What’s worrying is Eflin has a 4.70 ERA against the Mets in his career and an even worse 5.17 ERA at Citi Field.
Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire
