Gameday: Phillies (17-8) vs Mets (11-15)
New York Mets (11-15) at Philadelphia Phillies (17-8)
Jonathon Niese, LHP (1-3, 5.10 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay, RHP (3-1, 2.41 ERA)
Time: 1:10 p.m, Citizens Bank Park
TV: CSN, Fox Regional
Weather: Sunny, 69
Twitter: @philliesnation
Heading into the series with the Mets there were some question marks about game one. With Joe Blanton the most recent Phillie to head to the DL, the team called up Vance Worley for a spot start. It is always a mystery as to how a young minor league guy will handle the surprise call up.
As we saw last season and again last night Worley did not miss a beat. With Roy Halladay pitching today and Cliff Lee tomorrow, Worley gave the Phillies an excellent chance of sweeping the Mets this weekend.
Halladay has not lost against the Mets in his last six starts against them. Overall he is boasting a 7-2 record with a 3.43 ERA. As a Phillie, though, he is undefeated at 5-0 with a 2.09 ERA against New York. In three of those five starts the Mets failed to score a run off the 2010 Cy Young award winner.
If facing Halladay is not enough for the Mets, they will send left hander Jonathon Niese to the hill. The Phillies as a team are 7-1 against left handed starters this season. Niese got the call earlier this season to throw against Halladay giving up six runs in four innings. Against Philadelphia he 1-2 with a 3.96 ERA.
The Phillies are 3-1 against the Mets this season. In each win they have scored at least 10 runs. The pitching staff had held the Mets scoreless in 21 straight innings until Ike Davis hit a home run off David Herndon in the ninth inning last night. The staff have only allowed 11 runs in the four games this season.
Not saying the offensive woes are over yet but after going 14 straight games of scoring four or fewer runs, they have scored 23 in their last three. What goes up must come down, yes, but just like this Phillies offense it won’t stay down for long.
LINEUP: Victorino CF, Polanco 3B, J Roll SS, Howard 1B, Francisco RF, Mayberry LF, Valdez 2B, Sardinha C, Halladay P
Tonight’s selection comes to us from Fire Island, NY, that crazy place off Long Island where cars are prohibited. And it is this quirky phenomenon that give us the name of the beer since red wagons are what locals use to transport goods around the island. Ah, simple times call for a simple beer. This golden beer is balanced with floral and fruity hops and is perfect for a September evening. Have it with some grilled pork chops.
GO PHILLIES!
