New York @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 25, 2015 ) NY Mets 6, Philadelphia 5

Yoenis Cespedes has been swinging a red-hot bat and the majority of the New York Mets have followed suit. With five homers during the team's five-game winning streak, Cespedes looks to continue the Mets' dominance of the Philadelphia Phillies when the National League East rivals play the third contest of their four-game series on Wednesday.

After capping New York's franchise-best eight-homer performance in Monday's 16-7 rout, Cespedes added a two-run shot the following night in a 6-5 victory. The 2013 and 2014 Home Run Derby champion has ignited the Mets, who have recorded 55 runs during their winning streak and have outscored the Phillies 65-34 en route to winning 10 of the 11 meetings this season. While first-place New York remained 5 1/2 games ahead of second-place Washington, Philadelphia regained sole possession of last place after losing two straight following a three-game winning streak. Ryan Howard has homered in back-to-back contests to run his career total to 44 blasts in 156 career meetings with New York, but the 35-year-old is just 4-for-19 with two homers and seven RBIs against Wednesday starter Bartolo Colon.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), CSN Philadelphia

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Bartolo Colon (10-11, 4.90 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Jerad Eickhoff (1-0, 0.00)

Colon was blitzed in his second shortest outing of the season, allowing seven runs on nine hits - including three homers - in 3 2/3 innings against Colorado on Friday. The 42-year-old, who is just 1-7 in his last 11 outings, has permitted eight homers in his last six trips to the mound after yielding just 14 in his previous 18. Colon looks to rebound versus Philadelphia, against which he improved to 6-3 in his career with a pair of wins following six-inning starts in May.

Eickhoff had quite the major-league debut on Friday, scattering five hits over six scoreless innings in a 7-1 triumph over Miami. The 25-year-old aided his cause with a two-run single in the fourth inning, becoming the first starting pitcher in team history to drive in multiple runs in his first career game. Eickhoff struck out five against the Marlins after fanning 126 in 133 1/3 innings across two minor-league levels this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Philadelphia 3B Andres Blanco is 13-for-32 with seven runs scored during his eight-game hitting streak.

2. Mets C Travis d'Arnaud, who was originally signed by the Phillies, is 8-for-18 with two homers and seven RBIs during his last four games.

3. Philadelphia OF Domonic Brown is 4-for-9 with a homer and three RBIs in the series after going 1-for-21 in his previous 10 contests.

PREDICTION: Mets 7, Phillies 4