Phillies (52-79) at Mets (78-52)
7:10 p.m. on CSN
The Phillies play the Mets again. Yay.
The Phils are back in New York Monday night to battle their nemesis. They're 1-12 against the Mets this season and have dropped 24 of their last 29 to them dating back to last May.
The Phils were swept by the Mets in a four-game home series just last week, losing the games by a combined score of 40-21.
Here are four more things to note heading into tonight's series opener:
Eickhoff's third start
Rookie right-hander Jerad Eickhoff makes his third big-league start tonight and is hoping for an easier first inning.
Last Wednesday against the Mets, Eickhoff threw 40 pitches in the first and allowed three runs. He learned a quick lesson: Major-league hitters do not miss belt-high fastballs right down the middle.
MLB
Michael Cuddyer smoked an RBI double off Eickhoff and Michael Conforto singled in the the third run, but from there Eickhoff retired 14 batters in a row.
It was pretty remarkable that Eickhoff finished with a quality start against a red-hot offense that jumped on him early. Tells you a little bit about the kid's makeup.
Through two starts, Eickhoff is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA. He has 11 strikeouts and two walks in 12 innings.
Another look at Colon
Bartolo Colon is having a rough year, but that matters none when he faces the Phillies. Despite being 11-11 with a 4.65 ERA and having allowed 22 home runs this season, Colon has won each of his three starts against the Phils.
Over the last two seasons, Colon is 6-1 vs. the Phils with a 3.25 ERA, 39 strikeouts and eight walks in 47 innings. He's allowed 44 homers over that span but just three to the Phillies.
Colon had allowed six earned runs or more three times in his last seven starts before shutting the Phillies out over seven innings last Wednesday.
Remember how Jamie Moyer used to use his veteran savvy to stifle the young Miami Marlins? That's what Colon does to this young Phils lineup. Current Phillies own a .239 batting average against him with just two home runs in 109 at-bats.
Sweet-swingin' Sweeney
The Chase Utley trade was impressive for the Phillies in that they acquired two pretty nice pieces for a player who didn't have a future with them. But who knew Sweeney would be better in August than Utley?
In nine games with the Phils, Sweeney is 3 for 14 (.214) but has two homers — including a 445-footer — and five walks.
In nine games with the Dodgers, Utley is 5 for 29 (.172) with no homers, one RBI and two walks. (And he's been involved in two no-hitters.)
This and that
• Cameron Rupp homered again Sunday. In 28 games since July 3, he's hit .280/.352/.548. That's a .900 OPS, with seven home runs and 18 RBIs. He's also impressed behind the plate, nabbing 13 of 38 base-stealers (34 percent).
• Odubel Herrera had his first career four-hit game Sunday. He's hitting .360 with a .903 OPS over his last 50 games.
• Ken Giles has pitched just twice in the last eight days.
• The Mets set a franchise record for homers in any month this season with 43 in 27 games in August. They're seven runs shy of their franchise record for runs in a month. They've outscored their opponents 165-106.