Series Preview: Mets at Phillies, 4/29-5/1

Plagued by a wave of injuries, the Phillies return home to face division rival New York in a three-game series.

Starting pitcher Joe Blanton, who was originally slated to face the Mets (11-14) in the series opener, was placed on the disabled list on Thursday with a right elbow impingement. 23-year-old righty Vance Worley has been recalled to take Blanton's turn for the Phillies (16-8).

The Phillies have quite a collection of players already on the disabled list, with the likes of Chase Utley, Domonic Brown, JC Romero, Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras already missing time. It remains to be seen if Carlos Ruiz will be added to that collection, as the Phils' catcher left his last game early with a back injury.

For game one of the weekend series, the Mets will counter with Mike Pelfrey, who has allowed 20 earned runs in 12 innings pitched (15.00 ERA) over his last 3 starts at Citizens Bank Park.

Read ahead for details on each of the pitching match ups for this series and much more information.

Friday, 7:05PM. Mike Pelfrey (1-2, 7.23 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (1st start this season). In 14 career starts against the Phillies, Pelfrey has a 6-4 record with a with a 5.08 ERA. In 3 road starts this season, Pelfrey has posted a 0-2 record with an 11.91 ERA. Pelfrey has a 9.55 ERA in 6 career starts at Citizens Bank Park. Ryan Howard is 13-for-32 (.406 avg) with 2 homeruns in his career against the right-handed Pelfrey. Worley pitched 1 scoreless inning against the Mets last season. In 5 games in the Majors last year, Worley posted a 1-1 record and a 1.38 ERA. In 4 starts at Triple A level Lehigh Valley this year, Worley posted a 2-2 record with a 2.78 ERA and a 25 strike outs in 22 2/3 innings.

Saturday, 1:10PM. Jonathan Niese (1-3, 5.10 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (3-1, 2.41 ERA). The Phillies are undefeated in day games this season. Niese, a lefty, has a 1-2 record and a 3.96 ERA in 4 career starts against the Phillies. Placido Polanco is 4-for-13 (.308 avg) with 3 doubles and 4 RBI in his career against Niese. In 9 career starts against the Mets, Halladay has a 7-2 record with a 3.43 ERA. David Wright is 2-for-18 (.111 avg) in his career against Halladay. In his last start against the Padres, Halladay tied his single-game career high by striking out 14 batters.

Sunday, 8:05PM. Chris Young (1-0, 2.65 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (2-2, 4.18 ERA). Young beat the Phillies back on April 5th, when he allowed just 1 run over 5 1/3 innings. In 6 career starts against the Phillies, Young has a 4.05 ERA. Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard are each 2-for-11 (.182 avg) against Young. In 1 career start against the Mets, Lee allowed just 2 unearned runs in 7 innings pitched. In 7 regular season starts at Citizens Bank Park, Lee has a 4-2 record with a 2.77 ERA.

Ike Davis is batting .386 in 12 road games this season. The Mets' 1st round draft pick from 2008, Davis, is a .333 hitter in 11 career games at Citizens Bank Park.

In 7 games since returning from the disabled list, Jason Bay is batting .333 with 2 doubles, a HR and 3 RBI. The Mets have won 6 of the 7 games Bay has played in this season.

In 15 career games against the Phillies, closer Francisco Rodriguez has never allowed a run and he has held Philadelphia batters to a .109 batting average.

In 80 career games against the Mets, Placido Polanco is a .303 hitter. Polanco's .389 batting average this season is good enough for third best in the National League and his 37 hits are tied for second best in the NL.

Phillies reliever Ryan Madson has a 2.89 career ERA with a 3-4 record, 5 saves and 3 blown saves in 54 career games against the Mets. Opponents are batting .190 against Madson this season.

Ryan Howard is batting .381 with a 1.048 OPS in 11 homes games this season. Howard is a .264 hitter in 99 career games against the Mets.

Mets team ERA- 4.42
Phillies team ERA-3.28

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