Traditional doubleheader kicks off four-game set between Phillies, Mets

The Philadelphia Phillies will continue their 11-game road-trip Monday, as they head to New York to face off against the Mets. The Phillies will look to bounce-back after seeing their six-game winning streak snapped at Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon. 

The Mets are one of the teams that have given the Phillies some trouble this season. In the two series that the two teams have faced off in this season, the Phillies are 1-4, with two other scheduled games getting canceled due to weather. That’s why on Monday the two teams will be playing a traditional double-header, with games slated to start 4:10 p.m. ET and 7:10 p.m. ET.

The Phillies seem to have a very good chance to sweep Monday’s double-header, as their two hottest pitchers will start. In the first game, we will see Zach Eflin, who is in the midst of one of the better stretches that a Phillies pitcher has ever had. Over his last seven starts, Eflin has a record of 6-1 with an ERA of 2.81. In the second game, we will see Phillies All-Star Aaron Nola take the mound with a shot of taking the sole lead in the National League in wins with 12.

Jacob deGrom, also an All-Star, won’t square off with the Phillies until the fourth and final game of the series. The Phillies, who enter the series tied with the Atlanta Braves at the top of the National League East, will look to take advantage of playing the Mets, who have dropped six of their last 10, in the first three games of the series.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Zach Eflin (7-2, 2.97 ERA, 2.92 FIP) vs. Zack Wheeler (2-6, 4.36 ERA, 3.67 FIP)

Game 2: Aaron Nola (11-2, 2.41 ERA, 2.73 FIP) vs. Corey Oswalt (0-1, 7.94 ERA, 7.53 FIP)

Game 3: Enyel De Los Santos (9-3, 1.89 ERA, 4.01 FIP at Triple-A)vs. TBA

Game 4  TBA vs. Jacob deGrom (5-4, 1.79 ERA, 2.33 FIP)

Where to Watch/Listen

Game 1

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia/MLB Network

Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game 2

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game 3

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game 4

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Series Notes

• Zach Eflin has not lost a start since May 30. Since the start of June, Zach Eflin is 6-0 with a 1.91 ERA in six starts. It’s no wonder that MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported last week that the Phillies seem uninterested in moving Eflin for a few months of Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado.

• A win for Aaron Nola Monday evening would allow him to tie his career-high with 12 wins.

• Aaron Nola and Jacob deGrom are both currently top five in the National League in strikeouts. deGrom sits in second with 142 and Nola sits at fifth with 116. FanGraphs says the top three starters in the National League all are in the National League East. deGrom has been the second best, while Nola has been the third best. The best has been Max Scherzer – an All-Star like the aforementioned duo – who figures to start the All-Star Game at his home park next week.
• Tom Housenick of The Morning Call says that Enyel De Los Santos, who is set to be an International League All-Star, will make his major league debut Tuesday for the Phillies. De Los Santos was acquired this past offseason from the San Diego Padres for Freddy Galvis. Galvis currently has a -12.8 offensive WAR, which is tied for the sixth worst mark in baseball.