In the first of a three-game series between the New York Mets (64-63) and the Philadelphia Phillies (59-68) at Citi Field, Bartolo Colon (11-7, 3.36 ERA) and Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.21 ERA) get the start. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 26 and will air on CSPh and SNY.
In his most recent outing, Colon pitched 6.1 innings, allowing two runs, striking out five and walking one in a 9-5 victory over the Giants. Yoenis Cespedes (.291, 53 Rs, 25 HRs, 64 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. The Phillies were unsuccessful against the Cardinals 4-3 the last time Morgan pitched. He went 6.0 innings, giving up one run, striking out three and walking two. Ryan Howard (.199, 29 Rs, 19 HRs, 43 RBIs) went 1 for 4 Wednesday.
New York, a -172 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Philadelphia. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is eight runs. When playing as the favorite, the Mets have a 46-38 record and overall money line at -1,446. They are 5-5 SU and perfect as the favorite (3-0) in their last 10 games. The most recent 10-game stretch for the Mets has gone great. Over that span, New York is averaging 5.0 runs per game, well over their season average of 3.8. Transitioning to the New York defense and pitching staff, teams routinely struggle to score runs against the Mets, who allow only 3.9 runs per game. The Mets don’t give up many walks to opposing batters, leading the NL with only 2.6 walks allowed per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Phillies come into this game with a win percentage of .427 when playing as the underdog (41-55) and an overall money line of +675. Against divisional rivals, they are 22-25 SU and 13-17 as the underdog. The Phillies seem to play worse against their division opponents. In divisional matchups, Philadelphia has averaged 3.1 runs per game, compared to 3.8 for the duration of the season. Philadelphia’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 6.2 runs per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 4.8.
The Mets have mostly come out on top against the Phillies in their previous nine games this season, earning a 5-4 record. This game will feature Morgan (LHP) on the mound against the Mets, who have a 16-18 record when they take on a left-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Phillies will be the right-hander Colon. They sport a 45-53 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYM, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Philadelphia is 29-31, while New York is 23-25.
The Phillies are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Mets have a 22-32 record when opponents give up two walks or less.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mets are 43-11. The Phillies have a 39-7 record when outhitting opponents.
New York and Philadelphia both rank near the bottom of the league in runs. New York sits at 28th with 487 runs this season and Philadelphia ranks 29th with 479.
Ranking 28th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 321 this season. New York ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 384.
The Mets are 55-34 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Phillies are 50-37 when they hit at least one homer.
