The New York Mets (34-40, 27-47 RL, 33-37-4 O/U) meet with the Philadelphia Phillies (38-36, 29-45 RL, 28-39-7 O/U) in a divisional showdown on Saturday afternoon. The Mets will give the starting nod to Carlos Carrasco. The Phillies will respond with Cristopher Sanchez. The Phillies lead the season series 3-0.
Carlos Carrasco will take the mound to open the series. Carrasco was clobbered in his previous start, squandering five runs including two home runs in three innings against the Cardinals, and was lucky to escape with a no-decision in a game the Mets lost. The veteran right-hander is past his prime and has allowed 12 runs in his last 12.2 innings. He now has a 6.34 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP accompanied by a 2-3 record in 44 innings pitched on the season. Carrasco held the Phillies to one run in six innings last month and has posted a 3.32 ERA and a 3-1 record in 21.2 innings.
New York needs to start consistently winning series if they want a chance to make the playoffs. Their best chance is in the Wildcard but have several teams ahead of them. The Mets have not been able to construct a winning streak. They have yet to win a series this month after dropping two of three against the Astros this week despite scoring 21 runs.
Vogey's that dude ?? pic.twitter.com/GIFMezWVOi
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 21, 2023
The Mets recently welcomed Pete Alonso to the lineup from a wrist injury a lot earlier than expected. The star slugger has 23 bombs along with 51 RBIs and an .854 OPS. Alonso has not been able to solve the Phillies so far this year, going 1 for 11 with zero RBIs. Alonso has five RBIs this month.
The Mets are inconsistent at the plate and are averaging 4.55 runs on the year, marking them 13th. The pitching staff is carrying a 4.68 team ERA, positioning them 26th.