The Philadelphia Phillies (69-63) will begin a crucial three-game weekend series against the New York Mets (67-66) on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. They are coming off a terrific offensive performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night in which everyone in the starting lineup excluding pitcher Vince Velasquez and Corey Dickerson had a multi-hit game.
The Phillies are catching the Mets at the right time. They have lost six straight games. Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom will not take the mound in Philadelphia this weekend to the delight of both Phillies fans and hitters alike. The Mets, however, are not the same team the Phillies swept in fourgames in late June.