Philadelphia @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 26, 2016 ) Philadelphia 4, NY Mets 9

Noah Syndergaard looks to continue his mastery in the series when his New York Mets host the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday in the middle contest of a three-game set. Syndergaard is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in three lifetime starts against the Phillies as the rejuvenated Mets go after their sixth victory in the last seven contests.

Wilmer Flores belted a grand slam on Friday in a 9-4 triumph to push his total to nine RBIs in the last four games for New York, which has won three in a row at home and trails St. Louis by 3 ½ games for the second wild card in the National League. Asdrubal Cabrera has provided a boost for the Mets, going 11-for-28 with seven RBIs in seven games since returning from the disabled list after belting two homers Friday. Center fielder Odubel Herrera had two hits and a run scored Friday for Philadelphia and is 5-for-13 in his last three games to raise his average to .283. The Phillies, who have dropped six of the last nine, will counter with red-hot right-hander Jeremy Hellickson on Saturday.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, WPIX (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Jeremy Hellickson (10-7, 3.60 ERA) vs. Mets RH Noah Syndergaard (11-7, 2.61)

Hellickson allowed two runs and seven hits with eight strikeouts over seven innings last Saturday against St. Louis after skipping a start due to a back injury. The Iowa native is 4-0 with a 2.35 ERA in his last six starts since a loss to the Mets on July 15 in which he gave up four runs in six frames. Yoenis Cespedes is 5-for-12 with two homers versus Hellickson, who is 1-1 with a 5.63 ERA in three starts against the Mets in 2016.

Syndergaard won his second straight start last Sunday when he held San Francisco to two hits over eight shutout innings, but is 2-3 since the All-Star break despite a 2.76 ERA. The 23-year-old Texan boasts 177 strikeouts in 148 innings this season, including at least six in his last seven starts. Freddy Galvis and Ryan Howard have homers versus Syndergaard, who recorded 23 strikeouts in 19 1/3 career innings against the Phillies.

WALK-OFFS

1. Philadelphia 3B Maikel Franco went 0-for-4 on Friday to end an eight-game hitting streak and is 8-for-48 career versus the Mets.

2. The Mets registered 46 homers in the last 29 home games and own 83 blasts at Citi Field this season – two shy of last year’s franchise record.

3. Phillies 2B Cesar Hernandez is 25-for-78 with three homers, 17 runs scored and seven RBIs in August.

PREDICTION: Mets 4, Phillies 1