So as we move into this coming weekend, the Mets will once again be locked up with one of their biggest rivals. Last weekend the Mets split the four game series with the Yankees and this weekend the Phillies and Mets will face off.
I have already written an article today showing how there is no way the Phillies can take the division because of their complete lack of pitching. Even with the mediocre pitching, I want to look at the match-ups this weekend.
Game 1/2
Yes you read that right. I want to discuss very quickly the last game of the Phillies previous series. The final game against the braves will feature Cole Hammels. I think that it would have been better to bump Cole one more day back, to face the Mets.
I feel that just like the Yankees last weekend, the Phillies are not throwing their best at the Mets, and as the Phillies are concerned, they still fear the Mets, no matter what the standings show.
Now onto the actually series match-ups.
Game One
The reason that my game one match-up will be short and sweet is because A. Johan Santana is on the mound for the Mets, and B. the Phillies are not throwing a real challenge on the board.
After sending Brett Meyers down to AAA, the Phillies will be sending either another AAA pitcher or bullpenner Chad Durbin to the mound.
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Either of these choices should be completely over-matched against Johan. He is coming off of a very shaky start, and will have something to prove against the division rivals.
This also furthers my opinion that the Phillies should be throwing Cole Hammels, but if they want to hand over a victory, I won't complain.
Game Two
Game Two features an interesting match-up of old against new. The Phillies will send 63 year old Jamie Moyer to the mound. This season in two starts against the Mets he is 1-1 with two Strikeouts. Over those two starts he pitched 12 innings and gave up four runs.
Jamie Moyer will now be facing a Mets team whose bats are just beginning to heat up. With the floaters that Moyer throws, the Mets should have a field day.
John Maine will pitch for the Mets. He is coming off of his worst outing of the season but before that has been very good.
A very overlooked fact about John Maine is his record against the key division rival. In fact he is so good, that he has never lost to the Phillies!
Over seven career starts he is 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA. In 44 innings he has struck out 23. He should go out and pitch very well against the Phillies, as he always does.
This game should mark the 2nd win of the series for the Mets.
GameThree
Sunday will feature a match-up of two very up and down starters.
The Phillies will be pitching Kyle Kendrick. Kendrick has only one start this year against the Mets. It did not go very well for him. In 2.1 innings, seven runs were scored, only one was earned.
The only thing this tells you, is that if the Phillies can play good defense, they might have a chance.
Going against Kendrick is Oliver Perez. If the only games you ever watched of Oliver were against the Mets then you would assume he was the next Jim Palmer.
Fortunately for every other team, he rides a roller coaster when he is not in the Bronx. The problem for the Phillies is that Perez pitches almost as good against the Phillies as he is against the Yankees (at least this year).
This year in 11.1 innings Perez is yet to give up a run against the Phillies. He has struck out nine but also walked eight. That is the stat the Perez has to watch. In order to be successful he needs to keep the walks down.
My Predictions
Johan Defeats whoever the Phillies throw in Game One
John Maine and Oliver Perez continue their Phillies dominance and the Mets sweep the series, and pull very close in the division.
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2 months ago
Well researched post. Apparently you can't count beyond three, or else you'd realize it's a four-game series -- with a wrap-around game on Monday. Impressive work.
from 2 months ago
Wow that is a good call and mistake on my part. I was reading the probable pitchers off of the Mets and Phillies websites, and the only pitchers listed were until Sunday.
Thanks for the comment.
2 months ago
Just wondering - do bats like Utley, Howard, Rollins and Met-killer Burrell come into play for you? Also, have you really researched Kyle Kendrick's outings as of late? Do you know that in his last 11 starts against division rivals, Phils are 11-0? Do you know that the Phillies are 13-4 when he pitches? Have you seen some of the games Perez has started this year, namely one against Pittsburgh, which is not nearly the offensive force that the Phillies are?
As for Santana, he hasn't exactly been lights out this year. Maine has been struggling as of late as well.
And if you want to go back to the opening series that the Phillies played with the Mets, remember, they won the first game. Rollins was there. He didn't play in the final two. Rollins is the engine that makes this team go and he's beginning to heat up. He also feels he's been challenged by the Mets two seasons in a row. Last year he came out the victor. I'm sure he wants to do the same this year. Against the Mets, J-Roll always brings his best game.
Just a couple of thoughts of my own.
from 2 months ago
fair arguments, and I'm not saying that the Phillies will not put up a fight. I'm saying that the pitching should dominate on the Mets side. All of the Mets pitchers tend to step up their game against the Phillies.
Yes, the offense for the Phillies is slightly better than the Mets, but just slightly. When you consider that Delgado, Wright, Beltran and Reyes are all heating up at the same time, the AAA pitchers the Phillies throw in these 4 games should not give these hitters a big problem.
Good points made about Kendrick. I don't know what Perez's start against Pittsburgh figures into this? We all know he has a tendency to be wild, just not against the phillies.
Thanks for checking out the article. Check out my others.
2 months ago
Well game one, the Phillies put a fight. Do some research bro, before you write an article.
from 2 months ago
Hey, all I broke down here was the pitching, taking into consideration that the hitting is near equal. Santana pitched a great game, and the Mets hitting didn't hit a rookie pitcher. You can't say that this was not researched. Just wait until September when the Mets are on top.
2 months ago
Hey m or whatever the hell your name is does santanas , gee I don't no maybey 2.90 something era prove he hasn't been lights out or prove that your probable a twins fan who's jelous of your ace or the best pitcher in baseball for leaving your team and is now busting on him for the mets not giving runsupport.maybe 109 strikeouts also pisses you off
2 months ago
Hey m or whatever the hell your name is does santanas , gee I don't no maybey 2.90 something era prove he hasn't been lights out or prove that your probable a twins fan who's jelous of your ace or the best pitcher in baseball for leaving your team and is now busting on him for the mets not giving runsupport.maybe 109 strikeouts also pisses you off
2 months ago
Sry didn't mean to post that twice
2 months ago
Not just that but perez is always good in big games while jimmy rollins isn't exactley a mvp canadaite and the truth who gives a shit about kendrics
2 months ago
Just pointing out that, although Santana outpitched that rookie in Game 1, but lost, all of my other predictions were pretty solid. The Phillies pitching will be their downfall, against good teams, they can't do anything.
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