August has been a month filled with ups and downs for the Philadelphia Phillies. Though they are currently 9-3 at home on the month, a lackluster mid-month road trip stunted a potentially game-changing lead over the New York Mets. The Phillies also lost Zack Wheeler to a venous thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis. Since the announcement, the Phillies have rallied around their ace and have shown a renewed vigor on the field.
In the past week, the Phillies have gone 6-1, outscoring opponents 53-33. Ranger Suárez, Aaron Nola, and Jesús Luzardo have all shown signs of improvement from their individual issues of late. Jhoan Duran, though he threw his first blown save with the Phillies on Friday night, has cemented himself as the team’s closer.
Meanwhile, the New York Mets just won their second series of the month over the weekend, taking the first two of their three-game set with the Atlanta Braves. Overall, they own a 7-14 record on the month as the Phillies prepare to arrive in town.
The Battle Continues
The Phillies first traveled to Queens over four months ago, towards the end of April. The results were less than optimal for the Phillies. In other words, the Mets swept the Phillies in three games. Now, the season series stands at 2-4 in favor of the Mets, with seven games remaining. In order to secure the tiebreaker over the Mets, should it be needed, the Phillies need to win at least five of their final seven contests.
Speaking of the number seven, going into Monday’s series opener, the Phillies own a 7.0 game lead over the Mets for the National League East title. With 32 games to go, the Phillies’ magic number to clinch the division for the second-straight year is 26.
The Pitching Matchups
After a strong performance by Ranger Suárez on Sunday, the Phillies will turn to Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, and Taijuan Walker against the Mets. The Mets will respond with Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and Nolan McLean.
Monday night’s matchup between Sánchez and Senga is the best matchup on paper this series. Sánchez has taken a big step this season and is making a case for the NL Cy Young Award. He owns a 2.46 ERA and has struck out 169 batters in 157 innings of work this season. Most recently, Sánchez struck out 12 batters over 6.1 innings against the Seattle Mariners, allowing two runs to score. Senga, meanwhile, has not clocked in as flashy a year as Sánchez but still owns a strong 2.58 ERA over 104.2 innings of work.
Tuesday is highlighted by a matchup between two southpaws, with Luzardo going up against Manaea. After a really strong start to the year, Luzardo has found himself in a rut for most of the season. Recently, he appears to have turned a corner. In his four starts thus far in the month of August, Luzardo owns a 3.00 ERA over 24 innings, striking out 30 batters. He also struck out 12 batters in his most recent outing against the Mariners. Since making his season debut in July, Manaea has yet to find his groove for the Mets. He has allowed at least four earned runs in each of his last four outings for the Mets.
Wednesday pits Walker, the former Mets pitcher, against a Mets rookie in McLean. Walker has clocked in an impressive season, stepping consistently to make his way back into the Phillies’ starting rotation. Most recently, he allowed three earned runs in the first inning against the Washington Nationals before shutting them down for five innings of work.
The Phillies lost that game due to a blown save and some poor late-inning defense. Walker, meanwhile, kept the Phillies in even though he allowed three earned runs in a game for the first time in nearly a month. McLean, meanwhile, will make his third Big League start. Thus far, he has allowed two runs 1in 2.1 innings, striking out 15 batters.
Where to watch
As the battle for the National League East wages on, each of the Phillies’ quarries in Queens can be watched on NBC Sports Philadelphia. First pitch for all three contests is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
