Phillies head to Queens to open series with rival Mets

Christopher Sanchez is slated to lead the Philadelphia Phillies against the New York Mets at Citi Field on Monday night, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 PM ET. This matchup marks the beginning of a four-game series between the two teams. 

 

The New York Mets, with a home record of 10-12 and an overall record of 19-20, currently hold the 10th-ranked team batting average in the National League at .236. 

 

In contrast, the Philadelphia Phillies enter the game with an impressive 28-13 record overall, including a strong 13-6 record on the road. Phillies hitters have collectively posted a .424 slugging percentage, positioning them as the second-ranked team in the NL. 

 

The Phillies enter play tonight with a +62 run differential (213-151) which ranks 2 nd in MLB, trailing only LAD (+78). Through 41 games, the Phillies have improved their run differential by +87 runs at this point from a season ago – last year they were at -25 through the first 41 games This game marks the first encounter between the Phillies and the Mets this season. 

 

Keep an eye on Bryson Stott and Bryce Harper, who have been standout performers for the Phillies in recent games. 

 

Sanchez brings a 3.22 ERA in 36 1/3 innings pitched, with 34 strikeouts into the series opener. In his last outing against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sanchez delivered an impressive performance, pitching seven innings and allowing only one earned run on six hits. 

 

Opposing Sanchez will be Sean Manaea (2-1) for the Mets, who has maintained a 3.31 ERA in seven games this season. 

 

The Phillies come to New York on the heels of a tough 7-6 loss in Miami on Sunday. Emmanuel Rivera pushed across the winning run after hitting a ball up the middle that was deflected by reliever Gregory Soto.

 

Injury Update

J.T. Realmuto was dealing with a sore knee and didn't play on Sunday. Manager Rob Thomson said he didn't believe the backstop was dealing with anything serious, so he should be back in the lineup while the Phillies are in New York. 

Kyle Schwarber is also back soreness and should be back in the lineup tomorrow.

Phillies Lineup 

Merrifield 7 

Bohm 5 

Harper 3 

Castellanos DH 

Stott 4 

Sosa 6 

Marsh 9 

Rojas 8 

Stubbs 2

 

Did You Know?

After losing their first two series of the season (1-2 vs ATL & 1-2 vs CIN), the Phillies have either won or tied each of their last 11 series since April 5, their longest stretch without a series loss since Aug. 8, 1994-June 1, 1995 (13 series).