It’s been nearly two months since the Philadelphia Phillies were swept by the New York Mets. Each team has seen their fair share of injuries. Highs and lows have abounded for both teams.
The Phillies find themselves trending upward after putting a slump in the early days of June behind them. Over their last 10 games, the Phillies have claimed victory in eight of them, securing series victories against each of their opponents (the Chicago Cubs, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Miami Marlins).
“I really feel good about what we did here [in Miami],” said manager Rob Thomson following the Phillies’ 2-1 victory over the Marlins on Thursday. “And now we’ve got to move on. We’ve got to face a really good club, and we’ve got our fan base in front of us. It’ll be an exciting weekend.”
Two battered teams battling for the crown
The timing could not be better for Philadelphia going into a three-game set against New York. New York is currently in a six-game skid having been swept by Tampa Bay and Atlanta. New York recently lost starting pitchers Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill to injuries. Megill was expected to make the start on Friday, putting New York on the spot for a replacement. New York is also without 3B/DH Mark Vientos who is currently on a rehab assignment recovering from a hamstring injury.
The Phillies, of course, are not without their injuries. Aaron Nola was just moved to the 60-day Injured List. Nola was originally placed on the IL with an ankle injury and has since discovered a stress reaction in his ribs as well. Bryce Harper continues to recover as well from a wrist injury.
Regardless of injuries, first place in the National League East is on the line on the nationally-broadcasted three-game set over the weekend. The Phillies (45-30) enter the weekend having tied the Mets for the National League East title. The Mets (45-30) were just swept by the Braves and dropped their contest Thursday evening 7-1.
Phillies vs Mets: The matchups
Kicking off the weekend series for the Phillies will be none other than Zack Wheeler. Wheeler started against the Mets on April 23, allowing two runs in 6.0 innings pitched. Since facing the Mets, Wheeler has thrown for a 2.13 ERA, allowing only 12 earned runs over eight starts. Six of those earned runs came in one start against the Atlanta Braves on May 29. Wheeler has struck out 110 batters this season, the seventh-most in all of baseball.
With Megill’s typical slot up in the rotation, the Mets are calling up younger blood to face off against Wheeler. Blade Tidwell, the No. 14 prospect in the Mets’ organization per MLB.com, will be called up to make his second Major League start on Friday. On May 4, Tidwell was rocked in his first debut against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing six earned runs in 3.2 innings. Spending the rest of his time in AAA, Tidwell has pitched for a 4.76 ERA in 13 games for the Syracuse Mets.
Mick Abel will then get his first shot at the Mets Saturday night. After allowing three runs in four innings on June 10 against the Cubs, Abel settled back down in his most recent start against the Marlins. He allowed one run on five innings of work while only allowing four base runners. Abel will be opposed by Griffin Canning. Canning currently owns a 3.80 ERA on the season and allowed one run on 5.0 innings against the Phillies on April 22.
Jesús Luzardo will then look to turn things around in the series finale Sunday night. His 4.41 ERA has been inflated over his past four starts. He has allowed 25 earned runs in 16.1 innings across those starts. In his 11 previous starts, Luzardo only allowed 19 earned runs. David Peterson will toe the rubber against Luzardo after allowing two runs in 5.1 innings against the Phillies in April. He owns a 2.60 ERA on the year.
How to watch
All three contests this weekend will be nationally broadcasted. Friday night’s 7:15 p.m. start will air exclusively on Apple TV+. The Phillies will then return to the traditional circuit of national channels for Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s contest will air on FOX while Sunday will air on ESPN. Saturday and Sunday’s start times are scheduled for 7:15 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. respectively.
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
