The Phillies' 6-2 win Saturday night improved them to 14-7 against the Mets since the start of last season, easily their best record against any NL East opponent.
Much is made of the Phils' inability to take advantage of the Marlins, but they've certainly taken advantage of the Mets, particularly at Citizens Bank Park, where they've won nine of the last 11 meetings.
Since the start of 2019, the Phillies are:
• 14-7 vs. Mets (125 runs scored, 94 runs allowed)
• 12-11 vs. Braves (117 runs scored, 140 runs allowed)
• 10-12 vs. Marlins (120 runs scored, 112 runs allowed)
• 5-14 vs. Nationals (72 runs scored, 106 runs allowed)
MLB
The Braves' offense has pummeled Phillies pitching six times since the start of last season. The games have skewed in the Braves' favor since the Phillies' three-game sweep to open 2019.
The Phillies couldn't hit the Nationals' elite starting rotation at all last season, averaging just 3.79 runs in the 19 meetings.
The Phils have not been able to hold big leads against the Marlins or hold them down late in close games.
And yet beating the Mets hasn't been an issue.
One major reason for the Phillies' recent success against the Mets is not having to face back-to-back NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. Despite the 32 starts and 200-plus innings deGrom has pitched in each of the last two seasons, he has somehow started only one of the last 28 games between the Phillies and Mets.
Over that same span, Aaron Nola has faced the Mets eight times and dominated them to the tune of a 2.31 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The Phillies have gone 6-2.
The first 10 times the Phillies faced deGrom, they lost, so they aren't complaining about how the schedule has shaken out. They were scheduled to face him Friday night but he was scratched hours before the game with a stiff neck.
The Mets' strength is their starting rotation and their top two has been deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. The Phillies have avoided deGrom and have welcomed matchups against Syndergaard. They hit .355 with a 1.011 OPS against Syndergaard last season and scored 13 runs in 15 innings. He won't pitch this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March.
The Phillies have gotten a ton out of Jean Segura in the 16 games he's played with them against the Mets. Segura, who homered Saturday night, has hit .366 with 4 homers, 13 RBI and 12 extra-base hits in those 75 plate appearances.
Another big factor is that the Phillies have done a better job against Pete Alonso than the rest of the division. Alonso has 3 HR and 9 RBI against the Phillies compared to 24 HR and 60 RBI against the other three NL East teams. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year is 0 for 9 with three strikeouts this weekend against the Phils.
The Phillies have also been the main source of deposed closer Edwin Diaz's frustration in New York. He allowed 11 runs to them in 7⅔ innings last season, blew two saves and took two losses.
The Phils have taken the first two games this weekend to win their first series of the season and have Zack Wheeler (2-0, 2.89 ERA) on the mound against his old team in the finale. A win would get the Phillies to within a game of .500, which is about the threshold to make the playoffs as the eighth and final seed in your league this season.
After Sunday, the Phillies next face the Mets Sept. 4-7 in New York, then Sept. 15-17 in Philly.
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