Friday, May 27, 2011
Posted: 12 p.m.
CSNPhilly.com
Phillies (30-19) at Mets (26-24), 7:10 p.m. on CSN
Starting Pitchers
Phillies: Very quietly, Roy Oswalt (3-2, 2.77) has been terrific this season. He was slowed earlier in the month by back issues and personal matters, but if you discount the start before Oswalt hit the DL, his season numbers stack up with any pitcher in the majors. In six startswithout taking into account his injury-shortened loss to the D-Backs on April 26Oswalt has posted a 3-1 record with a 1.75 ERA, allowing just 30 hits in 36 innings with 27 strikeouts and nine walks. And he appears to have fully recovered from that soreness in his lower back -- Oswalt threw seven innings of one-run ball in a 2-0 loss to the Rangers on Sunday.
Mets: In his first season in New York, Chris Capuano (3-5, 5.46) has had his ups and downs. But recently, the downs have grossly outnumbered the ups. Capuano allowed six earned runs and four homers in 5 13 innings in his last outing, a 7-3 loss to the Yankees. Of Capuanos last five starts, the Mets have lost four.
Previous games
The Phils have won five of their last seven games, including three wins over the Reds in the last four days. Chase Utley made his return in the first game of the Cincinnati series and over the four games since, the Phils posted 28 runs. They had managed just 26 runs in the 12 games prior.
New York, on the other hand, has recently hit a rough patch. Since the three-game stretch against the Nationals and Yankees over which the Mets allowed just one run, the team has surrendered 40 runs in five games, losing four of them.
Head-to-head
The Phillies are 4-2 against the Mets so far this year, but Friday will mark their first trip to Citi Field. The Phils were shutout in their first four meetings there last season, but won four of the final five games in New York.
Despite his 0-2 lifetime record against the Phils, Capuano has pitched well in previous matchups. For his career, Capuano has allowed just nine earned runs on 23 hits in 25 13 innings versus Philadelphia. In 24 career at-bats against Oswalt, Carlos Beltran has nine hits, including two doubles, one homer and seven RBIs.
MLB
Oswalt has made 14 starts against the Mets, going 6-5 with a 3.33 ERA. Utley is just 1-for-8 against Capuano in his career with three strikeouts, but he has hit more homers against the Mets (26) than against any other team.
Whos hot?
Ryan Howard has at least one hit in each of the last six games, totaling nine knocks in 25 at-bats during his current hit streak. He also has an extra-base hit in five of those six games, notching two homers and three doubles since Saturday.
David Murphy is working on a six-game hitting streak of his own. He was 3-for-4 with a double in the Mets loss to the Cubs on Thursday. Jose Reyes has nine hits in his last 23 at-bats, and that includes an 0-for-5 night against the Yankees.
Storylines
The Mets are coming home for the first time after hedge fund manager David Einhorn bought a minority share of the team for 200 million on Thursday.
Sound off
Two years ago the Mets were by far the Phillies biggest division rival. Does New York still hold that distinction? If not, with whom do they Phils now share their fiercest rivalry?
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