Philadelphia @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( May 29, 2011 ) Philadelphia 5, NY Mets 9
THE STORY: The New York Mets made headlines during the All-Star break when they traded prized closer Francisco Rodriguez - and his gaudy contract/vesting option - to the Milwaukee Brewers. With the team admittedly entering a key stretch of their season, one has to wonder about the fate of other stars on Terry Collins' club. While general manager Sandy Alderson said that he "would not draw any conclusions from this transaction", others might as the Mets sit comfortably behind in the wild-card race. For their part, the Philadelphia Phillies boast the best record in baseball and are in prime position to collect their fifth straight NL East title. The division rivals will begin a three-game series in Queens on Friday.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN, SNY
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Vance Worley (4-1, 2.20 ERA) vs. Mets RH R.A. Dickey (4-7, 3.61 ERA)
Worley has certainly made the most since being recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in June. The 23-year-old hurler has allowed just two runs in his last four outings. As one might expect, the Phillies were a perfect 4-0 in those contests. In his last outing, Worley scattered two hits in seven scoreless innings as Philadelphia posted a 1-0 victory over the Florida Marlins on July 4. He has split a pair of starts against the Mets this season.
Dickey has been pitching well in his last four starts - although only has one win to show for it. The 36-year-old knuckleballer has yielded just seven runs and struck out 22 in his last four starts. In his last outing, Dickey allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings, but settled for a no-decision last Friday against the San Francisco Giants. He is 2-2 in his career against Philadelphia, but has yet to pitch against the NL East rival this season.
ABOUT THE PHILLIES (57-34): Philadelphia entered the All-Star break with a 3 1/2-game lead over the second-place Atlanta Braves. The margin marked the largest advantage of any division leader in the majors. Worley kept his pitching schedule intact when he took the hill for Lehigh Valley on Saturday. He scattered three hits over six scoreless innings. Raul Ibanez has nine hits and recorded 13 RBIs in his last five games. He is 5-of-19 with a pair of homers in his career against Dickey. Jimmy Rollins has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, collecting 15 hits in the process.
ABOUT THE METS (46-45): Rodriguez was sent to Milwaukee for two players to be named and cash considerations. The closer is in the last season of a three-year worth $37 million and has a vesting option of $17.5 million for the 2012 season if he finishes 55 games this season. Rodriguez has finished 34 contests thus far. With the team having lost three of four, New York is hearing the constant rumors in regard to potential future destinations of All-Stars Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes. For his part, Beltran has 21 hits in his last 15 games.
FINAL PITCH: Mets third baseman David Wright will begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Friday and will likely return to the club on July 22 against the Florida Marlins. He has been sidelined since he went on the 15-day disabled list May 16 with a stress fracture in his lower back.