The Phillies (81-60) have been on fire lately and have surged to take over the top spot in the National League East. However, CitiField has proven to be an obstacle the Phils can't handle this season, as they've managed to score just 7 runs in 6 games there in 2010. They travel north to take on the Metropolitans (69-71) there in a 3-game series that begins Friday night.
The reigning NL champion Phillies have won three straight division crowns. New York, while out of the pennant race, still hopes to play some role in the final standings, and beating the teams near the top is surely a way to do just that. Hoping to prevent the host team from playing spoiler, Philadelphia will send ace hurler Roy Halladay to the mound in game 1. New York will counter with rookie right-hander Jenrry Mejia, who could have a hard time matching the All-star Halladay's efforts.
New York will activate Jose Reyes from the disabled list this weekend. Reyes has been sidelined since August 26th with an oblique strain.
Reviews of the pitching match ups and plenty more details on this series lie ahead.
Friday, 7:10pm. Roy Halladay (17-10, 2.36 ERA) vs. Jenrry Mejia (0-3, 3.86 ERA). In 7 career starts against the Metropolitans, Halladay has a 5-2 record with a a 3.72 ERA. In his last 4 road starts, Halladay is 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA. David Wright is 2-for-12 (.167 avg) in his career against Halladay. Jose Reyes is 7-for-15 (.467 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 triples against Halladay in his career. Mejia, a 20-year-old rookie, will be making just his 2nd Major League start. In 14 home games this season, Mejia is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA.
Saturday, 4:10pm. Kyle Kendrick (9-8, 4.89 ERA) vs Mike Pelfrey (13-9, 3.96 ERA). Kendrick is 6-2 with a 4.07 ERA in 15 road games this season. In 2 starts against the Metropolitans this season, Kendrick is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA. In 11 games since the All-star break, Kendrick is 4-5 with a 5.63 ERA. In his last 5 starts, Pelfrey is 2-3 with a 3.98 ERA. In 12 career starts against the Phillies, Pelfrey has posted a 5-4 record with a 4.73 ERA. Shane Victorino is 6-for-10 (.600 avg) with 2 doubles and a homer & 4 RBI against Pelfrey this season.
Sunday, 1:10pm. Roy Oswalt (11-13, 3.09 ERA) vs. Jonathan Niese (9-7, 3.85 ERA). In 13 career starts against the Metropolitans, Oswalt is 5-5 with a 3.68 ERA. In 8 starts since joining the Phillies, Owalt is 5-1 with a 2.30 ERA. In 47 career starts in September, Oswalt is 28-9 with a 2.75 ERA. Niese is 4-4 with a 4.00 ERA in 13 home starts this season. In his last 3 starts, the lefty Niese has a 1-2 record with an 8.27 ERA.
Carlos Ruiz is 4-for-36 (.111 avg) in 11 career games at CitiField. His 29 RBI since the All-star break this season are a career high.
In 9 September games played this season, Shane Victorino is batting .389 with 2 homeruns. Victorino has a .391 average in 6 games played at CitiField this season.
Ryan Madson in his last 25 outings, has posted a 0.72 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 25 innings. In 49 career games against the Metropolitans, Madson has a 3-4 record with 5 saves, 3 blown saves and a 2.79 ERA.
In 30 day games this season, Jose Reyes is batting .203, while his average in night games sits at .318 in 82 games.
Angel Pagan has a career .281 average in 35 games against the Phillies. Pagan's average since the All-star break- .256...Pagan's average before the All-star break- .315.
Phillies team runs scored- 656.
Metropolitans team runs scored- 570.
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