With season on life support, Phillies open series vs. Mets

The Arizona Diamondbacks (73-67) traded Zack Greinke – the most accomplished player on their team – before the July 31 trade deadline. And yet, they’ll enter this weekend ahead of both the Philadelphia Phillies (72-67) and New York Mets (71-68) in the National League Wild Card race. And if the season ended today, the Diamondbacks, like the Phillies and Mets, would miss the playoffs.

So as the Phillies head to Flushing this weekend for their final series with the Mets this season, it’s safe to categorize their season as being on life support. Ditto for the Mets.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Friday evening’s Phillies-Mets tilt at Citi Field:

Phillies Lineup 

1. Jean Segura, shortstop
2. J.T. Realmuto, catcher
3. Bryce Harper, right field
4. Rhys Hoskins, first base
5. Scott Kingery, center field
6. Cesar Hernandez, second base
7. Maikel Franco, third base
8. Jose Pirela, left field
9. Zach Eflin, pitcher

Mets Lineup 

1. Jeff McNeil, left field
2. Pete Alonso, first base
3. Michael Conforto, right field
4. Wilson Ramos, catcher
5. Robinson Cano, second base
6. Amed Rosario, shortstop
7. Brandon Nimmo, center field
8. Todd Frazier, third base
9. Steven Matz, pitcher

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Matchup

• Zach Eflin (8-11, 4.33 ERA and 4.72 FIP) vs. Steven Matz (9-8, 4.04 ERA and 4.50 FIP)
• Eflin has a 5.63 ERA in three starts against the Mets in 2019.
• In 10 career games (nine starts) against the Phillies, Matz has a 5.82 ERA.

Pregame Phillies Nuggets

1. In 179 at-bats since the All-Star Break, J.T. Realmuto has slashed .285/.332/.587 with 12 home runs, 33 RBIs and a .918 OPS. He’s improved in nearly every offensive category in the second-half of the season after he slashed .273/.328/.438 with 10 home runs, 42 RBIs and a .767 OPS in 308 at-bats before the All-Star Break.
2. Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is likely to run away with the National League Rookie of the Year Award, as he’s hit 45 home runs, driven in 105 RBIs and posted a 4.4 fWAR in 2019. Against the Phillies, Alonso has hit .288 with three home runs and seven RBIs in 59 at-bats.
3. Bryce Harper has 12 home runs in 228 career at-bats at Citi Field.
4. While Jeff McNeil has 11 home runs and 28 RBIs since the All-Star Break, he’s hitting .275 in 149 second-half at-bats. McNeil rode a .349 batting average in 289 first-half at-bats to an appearance in the All-Star Game.
5. Between 2016 and 2018, Cesar Hernandez averaged 74 walks per season, including walking a career-high 95 times in 2018. However, in 2019, Hernandez has walked just 37 times in 2019. With that in mind, it’s not surprising to learn that he’s seeing 3.86 pitches-per-plate appearance in 2019, which is a noticeable dip from 4.27 in 2018.

Programming Information

• Citi Field
• 7:10 p.m. ET
• NBC Sports Philadelphia
• SportsRadio 94 WIP

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