Philadelphia @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 30, 2012 ) NY Mets 2, Philadelphia 3
The New York Mets begin their final homestand of the season Monday, when they kick off a three-game series against the National League East-rival Philadelphia Phillies. New York returns to Citi Field for a 10-game stretch after losing two of three in Milwaukee over the weekend. Prior to the series against the Brewers, the Mets endured a winless six-game homestand during which they scored a total of nine runs and were shut out twice.
New York, which has dropped eight of its last nine contests, has the chance to crush Philadelphia's slim chances for a sixth consecutive playoff berth. The Phillies lost three of four in Houston against the worst team in the major leagues over the weekend, putting them four games behind St. Louis for the second wild-card spot with 15 remaining. Philadelphia had won seven games in a row prior to its series against the Astros.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN (Philadelphia), SNY (New York), MLB Network
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies LH Cliff Lee (5-7, 3.36 ERA) vs. Mets RH R.A. Dickey (18-5, 2.68)
Lee is hoping to win his fourth consecutive decision. The 34-year-old allowed an unearned run and four hits over seven innings in a victory over Miami on Wednesday. Lee, who has yielded three earned runs or fewer in each of his last six starts, posted his first win of the season and improved to 3-1 in seven career outings against the Mets on July 4.
Dickey makes his second attempt for his 19th win after losing to Washington on Tuesday despite allowing only three runs in seven innings. It marked just the second time in nine starts the 37-year-old knuckleballer yielded more than two earned runs. Dickey, who trails only Washington's Gio Gonzalez (19) in victories, is 3-3 with a 2.94 ERA in eight career outings against the Phillies.
WALK-OFFS
1. Dickey leads the NL in ERA, complete games (five) and shutouts (three).
2. New York 3B David Wright is seven away from tying Ed Kranepool's franchise record of 1,418 hits.
3. Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins, who reached the 30-steal mark for the 10th time, is third on the franchise list with 403 stolen bases. He is 10 steals away from passing Ed Delahanty for second place.