Game Preview: Phillies vs Mets

The Mets had a golden opportunity this week to close the wild card race against the Cardinals. Instead the Mets got swept, fell below .500 and the season is in major jeopardy.

Tonight they welcome the Phillies to Queens and this is the make or break series of the season for the Mets. If they can sweep the Phillies, then they can keep the hope for the playoffs alive. If the Mets get swept, they will have to overcome a historic sized mountain to make it into the post-season.

Taijuan Walker gets the start for the Mets tonight. Over 27 games and 144.2 innings, Walker has a 4.29 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 1.189 WHIP and a 93 ERA+. September has been ugly for Walker – he’s allowed 11 earned runs off 12 hits and four walks in 10.1 innings of work. This will be his fifth start against the Phillies season. In his previous four starts he has allowed nine runs from 17 hits and six walks over 21.1 innings – a 3.80 ERA. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Walker:

J.T. Realmuto 2-6, HR, K
Ronald Torreyes 3-7, 2 2B, K
Jean Segura 3-8, HR, K
Bryce Harper 2-12, HR, BB, 2 K
Didi Gregorius 4-14, 2B, 2 K
Andrew McCutchen 2-11, 2B, 5 K
Brad Miller 0-6, 2 BB, 2 K
Freddy Galvis 0-5, BB, 2 K
Odubel Herrera 0-6, K
Matt Joyce 0-8, K

The Mets bats will get to face an old friend and Cy Young candidate Zack Wheeler tonight. Wheeler has made 29 starts, pitching 195.1 innings (league leading) with a 2.86 ERA, 2.67 FIP, 1.019 WHIP and a 144 ERA+. He also leads the league in strikeouts (225), complete games (3), and complete game shut outs (2). After Wheeler threw a complete game shutout against the Mets in August, he had a rough go of it for four starts, allowing 21 runs, 19 earned, over 26.2 innings. Since then he has made two starts, allowing only one run over 12.2 innings. Overall this season he has faced the Mets four times, allowing only seven runs over 29.1 innings (2.15 ERA) while striking out 31 batters. The Mets have the following numbers against Wheeler: