Mets to keep plowing past Phillies?
Philadelphia knew its 2016 campaign wouldn’t be a picnic. The prospect of starting 0-5 for the first time since 1934, however, contextualizes just how rocky things could get.
Pete Mackanin’s club draws another tough contest against NL East rival New York tonight, with a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch at Citi Field. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv like the host squad as a 1.5-run favorite.
Runs were in short supply in yesterday afternoon’s series opener – until the Mets hung a four-spot on Philly reliever Jeff Russell in the seventh. That outburst, keyed by outfielder Michael Conforto’s two-run single, paved the way for a 7-2 victory. Jacob deGrom was credited as the winning hurler after twirling six innings of one-run ball.
This evening’s assignment falls to veteran righty Bartolo Colon. The 42-year-old will make his 468th career start. Last Aug. 31, he limited the Phils to four hits and fanned nine over eight immaculate frames in a 3-1 triumph.
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Colon’s opponent arrives in the form of relative MLB neophyte Vince Velasquez, who went 1-1 with a 4.37 ERA in 19 appearances a season ago. He claimed Philadelphia’s final rotation spot with a sterling spring finale against Toronto (six scoreless innings). Velasquez will attempt to keep the Mets’ big bats at bay, even though Neil Walker (five RBIs) has displayed signs of pop through the first three contests.
We fully expect the Phillies to drop their 11th of 12 in the Big Apple, but the less-than-sturdy mound matchup makes it hard to discern a specific margin. Just bank on a flurry of runs coming from both sides.
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