New York @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2021 ) Philadelphia 2, NY Mets 3
Following a successful opening weekend, both the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies should feel good entering their first matchup of the season.
However, each club will also be looking to bounce back from its initial loss of 2022, when these teams open a three-game set at Philadelphia on Monday night.
With high expectations surrounding both clubs this season, New York and Philadelphia each nearly pulled off an opening-series sweep. The Mets outscored Washington 17-4 in winning its first three games before blowing a 2-1 lead in the eighth of Sunday's 4-2 loss.
"We had a good series, we just won three out of four and we move on to another good team," Mets manager Buck Showalter told SNY.
The Phillies, meanwhile, tallied 13 runs in opening with back-to-back wins over Oakland before managing just three hits in a 4-1 defeat on Sunday.
"I didn't really have a problem with our at-bats (Sunday) because I thought we hit a number of balls hard," said Phillies manager Joe Girardi, who seems completely confident in his team.
"There's a really good feeling in (the) clubhouse about this club."
Philadelphia went 10-9 against the Mets in 2021, and 6-3 at home during that season series. The Phillies' Jean Segura, who homered for the second time on Sunday and is 4-for-11 on the young season, is batting .394 with four home runs and five RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak versus New York.
Segura is 3-for-10 with a homer against scheduled New York starter Taijuan Walker. In his first season with the Mets in 2021, the veteran right-hander went 7-11 with a 4.47 ERA in 29 starts. That included going 0-2 with a 3.76 ERA in five starts against the Phillies.
Walker had been dealing with right knee soreness this spring after undergoing surgery in January, but he is apparently ready to make his season debut following a successful bullpen session on Friday.
"We will kind of work through it," Walker told The New York Post.
Kyle Schwarber is 2-for-10 with a home run on his Phillies' tenure, but each of his four hits in eight at-bats against Walker last season left the park. Teammates J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm went a combined 6-for-15 with a homer apiece vs. Walker in 2021.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, turns to Ranger Suarez, who made a career-high 39 appearances in a variety of situations for the club in 2021. However, the left-hander truly turned heads after joining the rotation in August -- going 3-2 with an impressive 1.51 ERA in 12 starts.
Despite dealing with a visa issues this spring, Suarez felt he threw the ball well and is eager to begin his season.
"I worked on everything I had to work on, and I feel great," Suarez told the Phillies' official website. "We're ready to go."
Suarez went 0-1 with a 1.93 ERA in three appearances against the Mets last season, including a 2 2/3-inning start on Aug. 7.
New York's Jeff McNeil is hitless in two at-bats versus Suarez, but went 7-for-16 against the Nationals. Meanwhile, Mark Canha is 7-for-10 with two RBIs to begin his Mets' career. Escobar is 2-for-3 with a double and home run against Suarez.
--Field Level Media