For the first time this season, the Philadelphia Phillies (25-28) and New York Mets (27-27) will cross paths. These NL East rivals met 19 times last season, with the Mets going 14-5. However, the Phillies are the club that won the NL pennant. Neither team is where they expected to be at this point of the season, but there's still plenty of time to turn things around. Citi Field presents the next opportunity on Tuesday, as this series starts at 7:10 p.m. EDT. Let's see which side is in better shape for round one.
If the Phillies want to return to the postseason, their performance away from Pennsylvania needs to improve. The club comes into this series 11-18 in away games, with a 4-9 road record in May. Pitching has been the primary issue outside of Philly, as the team owns a 5.66 away ERA. With the way Ranger Suarez has been pitching since his return, he's probably not the man that will fix that problem. In three starts this season, he has more runs allowed (12) than innings pitched (11.0). He's allowed 17 hits in those three starts, none of which lasted more than five innings. The bullpen behind him is solid, but he has to give them the ball in a competitive game.
Offensively, hasn't done much, even with excellent bats littered throughout the lineup. Trea Turner's slow start and Bryce Harper's injury didn't help a team that's 21st in runs per game right now. Batting average and slugging aren't an issue, even if their home run total is only 21st. Strikeouts and walks are a problem though, as the Phillies are bottom-10 in both categories. This offense is capable of getting hot and destroying everything in its path. 2023 just hasn't seen it yet.