USATSI_16534796 — Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies Look To Reignite Offense as Mets Come to Town

The Philadelphia Phillies host rival New York Mets for three games following a series win vs. the Athletics.

Author:
Declan Harris
Apr 11, 2022 2:48 PM EDT

As the Philadelphia Phillies won their first series of the season against the depleted Oakland Athletics, their next opponent is a bit more challenging. The New York Mets come to Citizens Bank Park for an NL East showdown beginning on Monday for a three-game set.

This will be the first of six series between the two clubs, as Philadelphia looks to bounce back from their loss in the series finale against the A's. The Phillies' victories against the Athletics were powered by the bats of Kyle Schwarber, Jean Segura, and Rhys Hoskins, as well as dominant pitching performances by Aaron Nola on Friday and Kyle Gibson, who fanned 10 batters on Saturday.

The Mets travel up from Washington D.C. following their loss in the series finale against the Washington Nationals, one that saw the debuts of Max Scherzer, Mark Cahna, and Starling Marte in a New York uniform.

Perhaps the most action-packed game in the series came on Friday when Scherzer started against his former team, allowing one run in six innings, while striking out six. Amidst his performance, Nationals pitcher Steve Cishek hit Francisco Lindor in the head causing both benches to clear.

The Mets come to Philadelphia with a half-game lead in the NL East, meaning the three-game set will have implications for early NL East standings. The Atlanta Braves sit 2-2 following their series with the Cincinnati Reds, and the Miami Marlins are 1-2 following their bout with the San Francisco Giants.

The series between the Phillies and Mets will have some of the game's biggest pitchers on display, absent Jacob deGrom. The Phillies will send out Ranger Suárez on Monday, Zack Wheeler on Tuesday, and Nola on Wednesday; While the Mets will have Taijuan Walker on Monday, Tylor Megill on Tuesday, and Scherzer on Wednesday.

The two big-ticket games to watch in the series would be Wheeler's first outing of the 2022 season on Tuesday against his former team, and the showdown between Nola and Scherzer on Wednesday.

Nola has a career 9-3 record against the Mets, sporting an ERA of 3.12 and a SO/9 of 11.5. In his most recent outing against New York back in Sept. 2021, Nola fanned nine batters, allowing just one run across five innings pitched.

Monday and Tuesday's games are both set to begin at 6:45 p.m., and the series finale on Wednesday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.