New York @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 12, 2010 ) Philadelphia 3, NY Mets 0
The Philadelphia Phillies are riding yet another red-hot September streak toward the playoffs.
For their part, the New York Mets are stumbling on yet another ice-cold September streak toward nowhere.
Winners of 10 in a row and 18 of 21 in the aforementioned month, the NL East-leading Phillies (92-61) will host the free-falling Mets (74-78) on Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia's magic number rests at four to claim its fourth consecutive division crown. The Phillies capped a three-game sweep of Atlanta on Wednesday to extend their lead to six full games over the Braves in the NL East.
Now, Charlie Manuel's club has a chance at surpassing the Minnesota Twins (92-60), New York Yankees (92-61) and Tampa Bay Rays (91-61) for the best record in the majors.
Now, if you look further down the standings - yes, much, much further - you'll find the Mets, who have dropped five in a row and sit 17 1/2 games behind the Phillies. The only headlines New York will make in the near future will likely stem from the thorough cleaning of the organization in the offseason.
Philadelphia can thank its high-powered offense as a primary reason for its success. The Phillies have outscored their foes, 56-23, during their winning streak.
Chase Utley has reached base safely in 22 consecutive games and Raul Ibanez accounted for Wednesday's only run with an RBI double in the eighth inning as the Fightin' Phils recorded a 1-0 triumph over the Braves.
With that said, Philadelphia's pitching has been pretty solid as well. The success of 20-game winner Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt has been well-documented, and the Phillies' stingy 2.30 team ERA has resulted in only positive results.
On Friday, Joe Blanton (7-6. 5.04) will look to extend Philadelphia's win streak to 11 for the first time since 1983. The 29-year-old right-hander has ridden his second straight second-half push to climb over the Mendoza line.
Blanton, however, has struggled against the Mets this season - posting an 0-1 mark with a gaudy 5.11 ERA.
In his last outing on Sunday, Blanton allowed four runs in six innings, but Jayson Werth capped a four-run, ninth-inning rally with a two-run blast to get him off the hook.
New York will counter with R.A. Dickey (11-7, 2.92), who held the high-octane Phillies to one hit in a 1-0 victory on Aug. 13.
The 35-year-old knuckleballer didn't enjoy his brief visit to the City of Brotherly Love, however. He allowed six runs and eight hits in three innings during a 6-5 loss on Aug. 8.
All told, Dickey is 2-1 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts this season against Philadelphia.
As for his last outing, Dickey permitted four runs in six innings in a 6-3 loss to the Braves on Sunday. He allowed 10 hits in a start for the second time this season.