Series Preview: Metropolitans at Phillies, May 7th-9th

Having avoided a sweep at the hands of the Nationals with an offensive outburst and a 9-3 victory on Sunday night, the Phillies return home to begin a stretch in which they will play 14 of their next 16 games at home.

The Phillies (14-15) will kick off the homestand by hosting the Mets (15-13). Phils ace Roy Halladay, who allowed 8 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Braves in his previous start, will take the mound for the series opener. The Metropolitans will counter with left-hander Jonathan Niese, who struggled against the Astros, allowing 5 earned runs in 3 innings, in his last outing.

Philadelphia won 6 of 9 meetings with New York at Citizens Bank Park last season.

Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and more statistical information on this series.

Monday, 7:05 PM. Jonathan Niese (2-1, 4.08 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (3-2, 3.40 ERA). In 9 career starts against the Phillies, Niese is 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA. Niese has made 6 of those starts at Citizens Bank Park, in which is has a 2-3 record with a 4.63 ERA. Placido Polanco is 10-for-24 (.417 avg) with 4 doubles in his career against Niese. In 11 career starts against the Metropolitans, Halladay has a 9-2 record with a 2.88 ERA. Halladay is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 2 home starts this season. Ruben Tejada is 0-for-8 in his career against Halladay. Josh Thole has gone 7-for-16 (.438 avg) with a double in his career against Halladay.

Tuesday, 7:05 PM. Miguel Batista (0-1, 6.92 ERA) vs. Joe Blanton (3-3, 2.83 ERA). In 26 career games against the Phils (8 starts), Batista has a 3-3 record with 1 save and a 4.42 ERA. The right-handed Batista will be making his 2nd start of the season. Laynce Nix is 0-for-9 in his career against Batista. Jimmy Rollins is 11-for-20 (.550 avg) with a double, 2 triples and a HR in his career against Batista. Blanton is fresh off a complete game shutout, the first of his Phillies career, against the Braves in his last start. In 44 career regular season games at CBP, Blanton has a 16-6 record with a 3.96 ERA. Blanton has not lost at home since May 14th, 2011.

Wednesday, 7:05 PM. Dillon Gee (2-2, 4.50 ERA) vs Cliff Lee (0-1, 1.96 ERA). In 4 career games against Philadelphia, Gee is 2-1 with a 7.85 ERA and a .297 batting average against. Gee is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in 2 road starts this season.. Lee is expected to return from the a stint on the disabled list after suffering an oblique strain. In 4 career starts against the Mets, Lee has a 2-1 record with a 1.61 ERA.

In 23 career games against the Phillies Ruben Tejada is a .187 hitter. Tejada has a .347 average in 11 road games this season.

David Wright's .375 batting average ranks among the National League leaders. In 68 career games at CBP, Wright has a .291 average with 16 HR and 48 RBI.

Hunter Pence's 6 HR and 20 RBI are tops on the Phillies. Pence is hitting .275 with 0 HR and 3 RBI in 10 home games this season.

In 76 career games against the Mets, Carlos Ruiz is a .241 hitter. Ruiz entered action on Sunday with a .348 batting average against lefty pitchers this season.

In 3 career appearances against the Mets, Jonathan Papelbon has saved 1 game, blown another, taken a loss and allowed 2 earned runs in 3 innings pitched (6.00 ERA).

Mets' team ERA- 4.35 (13th in National League)
Phillies' team ERA- 3.39 (6th in National League)
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