New York @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 1, 2023 ) Philadelphia 2, NY Mets 4
The Philadelphia Phillies will look to rebound after a two-game sweep at the hands of the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves.
The Phillies fell 5-1 in 10 innings Thursday and will host a three-game series against the reeling New York Mets beginning Friday.
Philadelphia allowed five runs in a sloppy 10th to fall 10 games behind the Braves, in third place in the division.
The Phillies went 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position with seven left on base overall in the loss.
"I think that we could have won both of these games," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. "This game was a great game. We let it get away from us in the 10th inning."
Left fielder Kyle Schwarber dropped a relatively easy fly ball by Austin Riley in the 10th. Schwarber has struggled at times defensively this season, though he's not injured, according to Thomson.
"He's had some misplays," Thomson said. "I'm certainly not going to take 20 home runs out of the lineup."
"It's very frustrating," Schwarber added. "It's a play I should make, plain and simple."
The Phillies will hand the ball to Taijuan Walker (7-3, 4.31 ERA), who will face his former team. Walker signed a four-year, $72 million deal in the offseason.
In Walker's last start, he gave up seven hits and one run in eight solid innings against the Oakland Athletics. He struck out eight and didn't walk anyone.
"When he's on, there's just so many ways he can attack hitters and so many pitches he can put guys away with," catcher J.T. Realmuto said of Walker after the outing.
Walker is 0-2 with a 3.14 ERA in three career starts covering 14 1/3 innings against the Mets.
The struggling Mets will arrive in Philadelphia having dropped 13 of 17.
On Wednesday, the Mets fell 10-8 to the defending World Series champion Houston Astros.
"Obviously, not where we want to be," star first baseman Pete Alonso said after the erratic defeat.
Alonso hit his 23rd home run, but the Mets fell a season-worst six games below .500.
"Baseball is hard," said Daniel Vogelbach, who had three hits and three RBIs. "It'll try all it can to make you want to quit and make you want to give in. That's why not everybody can do it."
The Mets committed two costly errors and hardly resemble the team that won 101 games last season.
But they remain confident in their ability.
"We're going to get out of it, and we're going to go on a winning streak," Vogelbach said. "I don't know when that is. I wish I could tell you when, but I truly believe it's going to happen. And we're going to get right back to where everybody in here believes that we should be."
Kodai Senga (6-4, 3.53 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Mets.
Senga gave up five hits and four runs with eight strikeouts and one walk in 6 2/3 innings in his previous start, a 5-3 loss to the visiting the St. Louis Cardinals.
In Senga's lone career start against the Phillies on May 30, he was dominant. In seven shutout innings, he allowed one hit and no walks, while striking out nine.
"Obviously, I was very excited and also amped up to face them," Senga said after the outing. "But not only against the Phillies, but against the rest of the league, I want to keep it up."
--Field Level Media