New York @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 24, 2010 ) NY Mets 2, Philadelphia 3
With an impressive flourish, the Philadelphia Phillies will be looking to secure their fourth consecutive NL East title on Saturday.
Winners of 11 straight and 45 of their last 60 games, the Phillies (93-61) will need to defeat the New York Mets (74-79) on Saturday and have the Washington Nationals upend the second-place Atlanta Braves to claim the division title.
As it stands, Philadelphia enjoys a seven-game advantage over Atlanta in the NL East. On a broader scale, Charlie Manuel's club has the best record in baseball. The Phillies hold a slim advantage over the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins (92-61), AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays (92-61) and defending World Series champion New York Yankees (92-62).
In the series opener on Friday, Shane Victorino belted a solo homer and drove in two runs and Joe Blanton tossed seven strong innings as the Phillies recorded a 3-2 triumph over Mets.
Carlos Ruiz ripped an RBI single and Placido Polanco had two hits for Philadelphia, who improved to 19-3 in September to overtake Atlanta in the standings.
To keep the good times rolling, the Phillies will turn to Kyle Kendrick (10-9, 4.78 ERA) on Saturday.
The 26-year-old right-hander has struggled of late, dropping four of his last six. Kendrick was victorious in his last outing, permitting just two runs and six hits in six innings en route to a 5-2 victory over the Nationals on Saturday.
Kendrick will have to keep a keen eye on Angel Pagan and rookie Ike Davis in this one. Pagan belted a two-run homer and Davis had three hits on Friday.
New York will counter with rookie Dillon Gee (1-1, 1.80 ERA), who will be making his first appearance in the City of Brotherly Love while trying to stop the team's six-game losing streak.
The 24-year-old right-hander pitched well in his last outing, allowing just three runs and six hits in seven innings on Saturday. As has been the way in New York this season, the Mets dropped a 4-2 decision to the Braves in this one.
Although the Mets have had little fire in the standings, Jerry Manuel's club was incensed by Chase Utley's hard slide into second baseman Ruben Tejada in the fifth inning.
Retaliation - in some form - could be the order of the day on Saturday.
As for off-the-field matters, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins could return to the team as early as Sunday. The three-time All-Star has been sidelined since Sept. 8 with a hamstring injury.