New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies Series Preview

The first clash of the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets kicks off Friday evening in Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies enter the series 3-3. After losing two of three games to the Pittsburgh Pirates in their opening series, the Phillies took two games from the Miami Marlins.

The Mets enter the series a surprising 4-2. New York started the season with four straight victories—including a sweep of Atlanta—but lost two in a row without star third baseman David Wright.

Mets fans do not like Phillies fans and vice versa. This rivalry is age old, and always worth following.

Let's take a look at how this series breaks down.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Dickey (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Lee (0-0, 1.50 ERA)

Game 2: Niese (1-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. Worley (0-0, 1.50 ERA)

Game 3: Pelfrey (0-0, 4.76 ERA) vs. Hamels (0-1, 5.06 ERA)

The Phillies' pitching staff is arguably the game's best. Lee and Worley have showcased that against this Mets lineup over the course of their careers.

Lee is 2-0 with a 0.43 ERA against the Mets in his career. Worley is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

Hamels has not been as good. He is 3-10 with a 4.46 ERA. Yes, wins are the most overrated pitching statistic in existence but 3-10 still stands out.

The Mets are a different story. None of their projected starters have a .500 record against the Phillies and only Dickey has a career ERA below 3.00 against Philadelphia.

Obviously, these lineups are slightly different than these pitchers are used to seeing.

The Mets have a lot of inexperienced players who have seen these pitchers a sparse amount. The Phillies do not have a young lineup, but they are without their two best hitters.

If this series comes down to pitching it is hard to bet against the Phillies.

Mets' Lineup

The New York Mets' lineup is 28th in runs scored, 10th in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage and 16th in slugging percentage to start the season.

New York's lineup will need to be better if they wish to beat the Phillies' stellar starting pitching.

The Mets are lead by David Wright. Wright has been cleared to play this weekend, and will play as much as much as he can tolerate. The Mets struggled without Wright's presence in their lineup in the final two games against the Nationals.

New York will still struggle if Wright's supporting cast does not do their jobs.

Ruben Tejada has been an excellent table-setter thus far. He is hitting .333 with two RBI and four doubles.

Lucas Duda and David Murphy are the two other power sources outside of Wright. Duda has two home runs this season, and Murphy is tied for the Mets' lead with 11 total bases.

New York needs catcher Josh Thole to keep driving the ball. He only has 14 at-bats, but is hitting over .400.

The Mets will also need Jason Bay and Ike Davis to find their strokes and provide some pop, especially against the likes of Lee, Worley and Hamels.

Phillies' Lineup

The Phillies' offense is off to their anticipated slow start. Philadelphia is currently 28th in runs scored, 17th in batting average, 24th in on-base percentage and 25th in slugging percentage.

Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are still out with long-term injuries, and the Phillies still have no one close to their caliber in the lineup.

Hunter Pence has been the lone bright spot in the Phillies' batting order. Pence leads Phillie hitters in all major categories.

Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino are helping Pence's cause. Victorino is hitting .333 with one homer, two RBI and four stolen bases.

The Phillies' lineup was not expected to carry this team with Utley and Howard riding the pine. Pence is a solid player, but still more of a complementary hitter.

In order for the Phillies lineup to take the next step, John Mayberry Jr. and Placido Polanco must play to their full potential.

Mets' X-Factor

David Wright was hitting .583 with one home run and 4 RBI through the first four games before injuring his pinky finger and sitting out the next two.

Wright is expected to play against Philadelphia as long as he can tolerate the pain.

The Mets' lineup needs Wright to be there and healthy. He is their main power source and an uplifting presence to the young players around him.

Wright's ability to spray the ball to all fields, and knock the ball over the fence, is necessary to the Mets' hopes of winning this series.

If Wright plays the Mets have a distinct advantage at the plate. If he doesn't, their lineup is worse than Philadelphia's.

Phillies X-Factor

John Mayberry Jr. needs to provide power at the plate with Ryan Howard and Chase Utley nursing injuries.

So far, Mayberry Jr. has no home runs and just one RBI. That simply will not cut it.

The Phillies do not have much power right now, outside of Hunter Pence. Pence cannot do it all, even though he has so far this season.

Mayberry Jr. is still young, and is still learning the nuances of the major league game. But, the Phillies need him to grow up in a hurry.

Marberry's ability to shoulder a bigger load will go a long way toward the Phillies' success.

Who Needs It More?

The Philadelphia Phillies need this series more than the Mets, although both teams could use the victories.

The Phillies would like to flex their muscle against their rivals in front of their home crowd. Philadelphia has gotten used to success, and faces the strict expectations of maintaining that success.

New York was expected to be one of the National League's worst teams in 2012. Despite their surprising start, the Phillies do not want to drop this series against a (supposedly) inferior team.

Philadelphia fans are pining for an offensive uprising. They would love nothing more than to see it this weekend.

Prediction

The Phillies' starting pitchers are much better than anything the Mets have to offer on the mound, but their lineup is not.

Philadelphia's offensive woes will continue, and the Mets will take two games this weekend.

Dickey has been very good against the Phillies during his career and will not be intimidated by a hostile Philadelphia crowd. Dickey and the Mets will outlast lee, and the Phillies' bullpen will struggle to close out the first game.

After their Game 1 loss, the Phillies will second guess themselves at the plate. The Mets are brimming with confidence, and will ride their game one victory through the end of the series.

The Phillies have failed to put their initial concerns to rest so far this season. They won't be answered against the Mets either.