Philadelphia @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( May 10, 2015 ) NY Mets 7, Philadelphia 4

After falling for the seventh straight time on the road, the New York Mets hope that returning to the comforts of home can also serve as a wake-up call for their sleeping bats. The Mets look to move past a disastrous sweep in Pittsburgh when they open a six-game homestand with a three-game set versus National League East rival Philadelphia on Monday.

The Mets lost five of their last six overall and saw their road record plunge to 7-15, but won 17 of 23 at Citi Field - including a tidy three-game sweep of the Phillies on April 13-15. New York has won five of six versus its division foe this season, but mustered just four runs and batted .211 while striking out 36 times against the Pirates over the weekend. Although the Mets posted an 11-18 mark since a sizzling 13-3 start, the Phillies had won eight of 11 before dropping a 4-1 decision on Sunday in the rubber match of the three-game set versus Washington. Slugger Ryan Howard sat out the series finale, but is 8-for-18 with three homers, three doubles and four RBIs in his last four contests.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Severino Gonzalez (2-1, 7.11 ERA) vs. Mets RH Bartolo Colon (6-3, 4.85)

After getting blitzed in his major-league debut, Gonzalez fared much better in his last two outings - scattering five hits over as many innings in both contests. The 22-year-old Panamanian yielded two runs in a 6-2 win against Miami on May 3 and one in a 4-2 triumph over Colorado on Wednesday. Gonzalez, who retired his first nine batters against the Rockies, has a chance to make his mark while replacing injured Chad Billingsley in the rotation.

Colon has labored in each of his last two outings after bolting out of the blocks with a 6-1 mark. The 42-year-old Dominican permitted six runs on seven hits in five innings of a 7-0 loss to Milwaukee on May 15 before allowing nine runs on 11 hits in 4 1/3 frames en route to a 9-0 setback to St. Louis five days later. Colon looks to get back on track versus Philadelphia, against which he owns a 5-3 career mark after yielding four runs in six innings en route to a 7-4 victory on May 10.

WALK-OFFS

1. New York 1B Lucas Duda (hamstring) is questionable to play in the series opener versus Philadelphia after sitting out Sunday's 9-1 setback to the Pirates.

2. Phillies 2B Chase Utley collected 11 hits in an eight-game stretch before being limited to pinch-hitting duty in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Nationals. He is 5-for-14 with two doubles in his career versus Colon.

3. Mets SS Wilmer Flores, who had an RBI single Sunday, has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games.

PREDICTION: Mets 4, Phillies 2