Philadelphia @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( May 30, 2012 ) Philadelphia 10, NY Mets 6
The Philadelphia Phillies are limping into the All-Star break on the heels of a five-game losing streak. They'll look to avoid matching a season-high skid on Tuesday when they visit Citi Field for a three-game set against the National League East rival New York Mets. The Phillies' sluggish offense reared its ugly head during its last series versus Miami. Philadelphia scored just two runs in each of the three games.
New York saw its four-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday with an 8-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Mets have won six of the nine meetings with the Phillies this season, but dropped two of three in New York on May 28-30. Manager Terry Collins' club sits 3 1/2 games behind front-running Washington - while Philadelphia is a season-high 11 games behind the Nationals.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN (Philadelphia), SNY (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Vance Worley (4-4, 2.92 ERA) vs. Mets LH Jonathon Niese (6-3, 3.55 ERA)
Worley recorded his first win since May 11 in his last outing on Tuesday. The 24-year-old allowed three runs on six hits in as many innings in a 5-4 triumph over Pittsburgh. Worley fell to 3-2 in his career versus the Mets after yielding four runs and walking a season-high four in six innings in a 5-0 loss on April 14. Niese was the winner in that contest.
Niese has been heating up with the weather. The 25-year-old allowed just one run and struck out six in seven innings as New York cruised to a 17-1 triumph over the Chicago Cubs last Wednesday. Niese has split eight career decisions versus Philadelphia - although he settled for a pair of no-decisions against the Phillies in May after walking nine batters.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York second baseman Daniel Murphy has driven in 10 runs over his last four starts. Murphy has fared well versus Worley, going 4-for-9.
2. Philadelphia outfielder Hunter Pence is batting 10-for-24 with three homers during his current seven-game hitting streak. Pence has struggled versus Niese, going 2-for-18 with six strikeouts.
3. Jimmy Rollins, however, has cooled down considerably after a torrid stretch. The Phillies shortstop went 0-for-11 with four strikeouts in the weekend series versus Miami. Rollins is just 6-for-25 in his career against Niese.