Phillies Mets Preview

The Mets will visit Citizens Bank Park this weekend in what is sure to be great series between two bitter division rivals. Earlier this year, the Phils took 2 out of 3 from the Mets and this weekend they will look to continue their success against the New York Metropolitans.

Phillies Last Series

The Phils dropped 2 out of three in a road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phils were shutout in the first game of the series, but the offense responded nicely in the final 2 games putting up a total of 13 runs. In the series the Phils got a lot of production out of Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, and Ben Francisco. Defensively Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels pitched well and had solid outings. And although the Phils won the series finale by a final of 8-4 they limped out of Arizona with injuries to Jose Contreras and Joe Blanton. Both were placed on the 15 DL and both injuries could prove to be very costly to the Phils. Also Carlos Ruiz and pitcher Roy Oswalt are now day to day. Chooch experienced some lower back pain after Wednesday's game, and after his start on Tuesday, Roy Oswalt left the team to help out his family affected by the recent tornadoes.

Mets Last Series

The Mets took 2 out of 3 in a road series against the Washington Nationals. The Mets took the first 2 games of the series behind their offense that managed to score a combined 12 runs. The Mets lost the series finale but that doesn't take away from their recent tear. Before the series against the Nationals, the Mets swept the Diamondbacks at home and are 6-1 in their last 7 games. They are averaging 6 runs a game during their recent streak and the Phils can't take them lightly in the upcoming series.

What To Look For

In tonight's game look for a high scoring affair. Although Vance Worley has pitched well in Triple A, who knows how he will do in an unexpected major league outing. In the final 2 games Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee need to stop the Mets offense. Although the Mets bats have done some recent damage, the Phils two aces can make even the hottest team in baseball look absolutely foolish. Offensively the Phils offense is starting to come around, I'm predicting a couple of lop sided scores for this weekend.

Pitching Match-Ups

Friday 7:05 PM Vance Worley (0-0,--ERA) vs Mike Pelfry (1-2,7.23 ERA)

Sautrday 1:10 PM Roy Halladay (3-1,2.41 ERA) vs Jon Niese (1-3,5.10 ERA)

Sunday 8:00 PM Cliff Lee (2-2,4.18 ERA) vs TBA

I'm looking forward to an offensive explosion this weekend from the Phils. I expect Halladay and Lee to have strong starts accompanied by a whole lot of run support. And there is no question that the Phils will be ready to win in front of their homecrowd after their tough road series against the Diamondbacks.