Jerad Eickhoff (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and the Philadelphia Phillies (50-76) meet Bartolo Colon (10-11, 4.90 ERA) and the New York Mets (69-56) in the third of a four-game division series at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets won the last game 6-5, extending a five-game winning streak. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 26 and will air on CSPh and SNY.
In his most recent outing, Eickhoff pitched 6.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out five and walking one in a 7-1 victory over the Marlins. The Mets were unsuccessful the last time Colon pitched. He did not do well, pitching 3.2 innings, allowing seven runs, striking out one and walking two in a 14-9 loss to the Rockies. Yoenis Cespedes (.295, 78 Rs, 25 HRs, 81 RBIs, 7 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
Philadelphia is a +166 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Phillies have a losing record of 45-68 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of -413. They have disappointing records of 18-26 as the underdog and 21-28 SU within their division. Philadelphia’s pitchers are doing better against opposing batters during divisional games, only allowing an average of 4.3 runs per game, well under their season average of 5.0.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Mets come into this game with a solid win percentage of .732 when playing as the favorite (52-19) and an overall money line of +1,061. Against divisional opponents, they are 31-17 SU and have played well as the favorite with a 26-9 record. During the last 10 games, they averaged 7.6 runs per game, above their 4.0 season average. The Mets are a problem for opposing batters, sporting a 3.35 ERA this season. They have a WHIP of 1.17 on the year, good for tops in the league.
The Mets had the upper hand against the Phillies in their previous 11 games this season, earning a 10-1 record. This game will feature Colon (RHP) on the mound against the Phillies, who have a 38-59 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Mets will be the right-hander Eickhoff. They sport a 53-44 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYM, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Mets won by a margin of one run. The Phillies are 14-19 in one-run games. The Mets have a 21-21 record in close games.
The Phillies managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Mets who are coming in with a 9-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Mets have a slight leg up on the Phillies, as the Mets have won their last five games while the Phillies have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Phillies are 30-12. The Mets have a 49-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Philadelphia and New York both rank near the bottom of the league in runs. Philadelphia sits at 26th with 477 runs this season and New York ranks 21st with 502.
Ranking 28th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 289 this season. New York ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 351.
When the Phillies hit at least one home run, they are 32-35. When the Mets hit at least one homer, they have a 45-23 record.
