The New York Mets will try to get in the win column in game three of a four-game series in Philadelphia against the Phillies. The Phillies won the first two games of the series and look to win the series Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park. The moneyline on the game is Philadelphia -140.
Mets Are Reeling
The New York Mets are not playing good baseball lately. They currently sit at 37-43, 10 games behind division leader Atlanta. The Mets are 3-7 in their last 10 games, and manager Mickey Callaway seems to be on the hot seat. He and pitcher Jason Vargas had an altercation with a reporter over the weekend, and both were fined for their actions.
Callaway will send Vargas to the mound Wednesday to begin the process of possibly splitting the series. Vargas is 3-3 on the year with a 3.75 ERA. He has struck out 47 hitters in 60 innings pitched. He previously faced the Phillies on May 24 when he went 4 2/3 innings, giving up one earned run and striking out four. He took the loss in that outing as the Mets were shut out 6-0.
There have been some surprises in the Mets’ lineup this year. One of those surprises is second baseman Jeff McNeil, whose .348 batting average is good for second in the National League. Another surprise is first baseman Pete Alonso. Alonso has hit 27 home runs, also good for second in the National League. He has also driven in 61 runs, which is fourth in the league.
Phillies Also Struggling
The Philadelphia Phillies have not fared any better than the Mets over their last 10 games. They have won just three of their last 10, pushing their record to 41-38, 5.5 games behind the division-leading Braves. They are now tied with the Colorado Rockies for the second wild card. The positive in all of this is that two of the three games the Phillies have won have come in this series against the Mets.
They will send right-hander Nick Pivetta to the mound to win the series on Wednesday. Pivetta is 4-2 with a 5.54 ERA on the season. He has struck out 45 hitters in 50 1/3 innings pitched. Pivetta last faced the Mets on April 16. In a winning effort, he allowed three earned runs over five innings in a 14-3 rout.
The Phillies are led by Cesar Hernandez’s .283 batting average. Rhys Hoskins has blasted 18 home runs and Bryce Harper, trying to overcome a slow start, has driven in 54 runs for a Phillies offense that is 10th in the National League with a .244 batting average, and ninth in the league with 380 runs scored.
Prediction Time
The Phillies have won the first two games of the series on the back of their offense. Will Jason Vargas be able to slow them down? Put your money on the Mets in this one as Vargas will stop the bleeding for the Mets.
