Phillies (26-52) at Mets (37-42)
4:10 p.m. on CSN; streaming live on CSNPhilly.com and the NBC Sports App
Jacob deGrom took a no-hit bid into the fifth inning and guided the Mets to a 2-1 over the Phillies Friday night. Now the Phils send out the resurgent Jeremy Hellickson with a chance to improve his trade value against Zack Wheeler and the Mets.
Here are five things to know for Saturday afternoon:
1. Hellickson on a roll
Come July 31, there are a few certainties for the Phillies. Pat Neshek will be shipped out. Howie Kendrick, if healthy, is likely a goner as well.
And if he continues to pitch like his last two starts, Jeremy Hellickson may earn himself a ticket out of town.
Facing the Cardinals and Diamondbacks in consecutive starts, Hellickson lowered his ERA by more than a half run to 4.41. In 13 innings without a decision, he allowed just nine hits and two walks while striking out 11.
For context, he struck out just 11 batters over five starts during his red hot April. Hellickson has never been one to fan every batter, but his strikeout rate had fallen to a career low. If this is a sign of things to come, he could recoup some of his prior value.
MLB
Hellickson hasn't faced the Mets this season but he went 1-3 with a 7.77 ERA against them in five starts last year. He gave up seven home runs in 24 1/3 innings vs. the Mets.
Jose Reyes, Lucas Duda, Asdrubal Cabrera and Curtis Granderson each have one home run off him in their careers. Yoenis Cespedes has three.
2. Wheeling and dealing
After making a start on June 19, Wheeler went on the disabled list with a right bicep tendinitis. Now, he's back, and is one of the Mets' few healthy starters.
Wheeler missed all of 2015 with Tommy John surgery and failed to make it back in 2016. He finally returned to the big league mound in April and picked up his first win in nearly three years against ... the Phillies. Who else?
He faced the Phils twice in April, allowing three runs over 5 2/3 innings in a win before holding them to six baserunners and just one run in five innings his next turn. Wheeler struck out a season-high seven in that game.
The righty was perhaps the Mets best starter, or at least most consistent starter, before his last two starts. He took a 3.45 ERA into games with the Cubs and Dodgers. It ballooned to 5.29 after he gave up 15 runs in just 3 2/3 innings over the two games. He surrendered as many home runs (5) as he had strikeouts in that stretch.
The Wheeler that came into that stretch looked an awful lot like the one that gave the Mets 49 solid starts in 2013-14. The Phillies seem like a good lineup to face when in a slump. Current Phils hit just .138 off him and Odubel Herrera is the only player with a home run off the 27-year-old pitcher.
3. The walking wounded
The Phillies just lost another player to injury with Howie Kendrick, but their disabled list pales in comparison to the Mets.
Of their top seven starters, five have spent time on the disabled list. Robert Gsellman has disappointed after helping fuel the Mets' wild-card berth last year by beating up on the Phillies and Braves. deGrom is their only starter that has stayed in the rotation all year.
That's led to a heavy workload on their bullpen, which has been without Jeurys Familia for most of the year due to suspension or injury. With the starting rotation pillaged, the bullpen has been flat. Going into the series, their pen had thrown the eighth most innings of any team. They also had the fifth-worst ERA (4.82), one spot behind the Phillies (4.70).
As CSNPhilly.com's Corey Seidman mentioned yesterday, they've still hit home runs, including 50 in June. But they've done little else. Their offense seems to still miss the spark David Wright and Daniel Murphy provided at the end of 2015. With Neil Walker hurt, they have holes at both of their positions, trotting out Wilmer Flores while playing Cabrera out of position to hold the fort.
4. Players to watch
Phillies: Surprisingly, Maikel Franco leads the Phillies with 23 walks this year. However, his batting average has fallen to .219 after a no-hit night Friday.
Mets: Cespedes is 6 for 16 with three home runs and three walks off Hellickson. He's hitting .297 with nine home runs this season.
5. This and that
• Nick Williams got his first career hit in the seventh inning on Friday. He went 1 for 3 in his debut.
• The Phillies are 2-5 against the Mets this year and fell to 11-20 in one-run games after Friday's loss.
• The Mets have the second fewest stolen bases in baseball with 22. The Orioles have 16.