Noah Syndergaard (11-7, 2.61 ERA) and Jeremy Hellickson (10-7, 3.60 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the New York Mets (65-63) and the Philadelphia Phillies (59-69) at Citi Field. The Mets won the last game 9-4, and New York leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 27 and can be seen on CSPh and WPIX.
Syndergaard pitched 8.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering zero runs, striking out six and walking two in a 2-0 win over the Giants. Yoenis Cespedes (.294, 53 Rs, 25 HRs, 64 RBIs, 2 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4. Hellickson went 7.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out eight and walking one in a 4-2 win over the Cardinals in his most recent start. Odubel Herrera (.283, 67 Rs, 13 HRs, 42 RBIs, 19 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
This one isn’t expected to be close when New York, a big -230 favorite, takes on Philadelphia. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of seven runs. The Mets have an overall money line of -1,291 and a record as the favorite of 46-38. New York is unbeaten as the favorite and has a 5-5 SU record in its last ten outings. The Mets have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.5 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.8 runs per game. Opposing batters know they’re in for a battle when they play New York. The Mets are one of the top teams when it comes to pitching, allowing just 3.9 runs per game. The Mets are the top team in the NL at limiting walks to their opponents, allowing only 2.6 walks per game so far this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Philadelphia has a 41-55 record and an overall money line of +675. They are 13-17 as the underdog against NL East rivals, and 22-25 SU. Offensively, the Phillies have really sputtered in division games. They have decreased their season average of 3.8 runs per game by averaging 3.1 in those contests. The Phillies allow 4.8 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 6.2 runs per game during that span.
The Mets lead the season series, 6-4. The Mets have a 48-45 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Hellickson takes the mound. Syndergaard (RHP) will be on the hill against the Phillies, who have a 45-53 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
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 off of a hot pitching game where they recorded 12 strikeouts. The Mets have a record of 5-14 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Mets are 44-11. 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 496 runs this season and Philadelphia ranks 29th with 483.
Ranking 28th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 324 this season. New York ranks in the top half with 387.
When the Mets hit at least one home run, they are 56-34. When the Phillies hit at least one homer, they have a 50-37 record.
