The Philadelphia Phillies (62-49, 59-52 RL, 55-50-6 O/U) collide with the New York Mets (73-39, 63-49 RL, 57-47-8 O/U) in an NL East showdown on Saturday night. The Phillies will send ace Aaron Nola to the hill. The dominant Jacob deGrom is making his third start of the season for the Mets. The Mets lead the season series 9-3.
The Phillies will have Aaron Nola take the mound for the 23rd time of the season. Nola was sharp again in his latest effort, limiting the Nationals to just one run in six innings, and was credited with the win to bring his record to 8-8. The veteran right-hander continues to excel, conceding just one run in two consecutive outings, and features a 3.17 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP in 144.2 innings. Nola has limited the Mets to just seven runs in 16 innings this year, but is 0-2 in those three performances and has posted a 9-5 record with a solid 3.21 ERA in 23 career meetings against the rivals.
The Phillies' strong play resumes. They have won seven of their last eight and have not lost a series all month. They are winning these games without their best player in Bryce Harper. Philly has also won four out of their last five road bouts. They could not complete the sweep against the Marlins this week.
Nick Castellanos has done some of his best work this season against the Mets, collecting eight RBIs along with an .809 OPS. The 30-year-old right fielder is having a bit of a frustrating season but has been much better recently and has 54 RBIs and a .678 OPS on the season. Castellanos has logged five RBIs and a strong .762 OPS on the month.
The Phillies are scoring an average of 4.73 runs per game, good for seventh overall. The pitching staff is carrying a 3.76 team ERA, placing them eighth in the big leagues.