Sports fans are in for a treat later on tonight as we’ve served up a pair of mouth-watering games that will definitely whet your baseball appetite. Kicking things off tonight is the much-anticipated NL East showdown between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets. Then, the St. Louis Cardinals square off with the Arizona Diamondbacks in a marquee National League matchup.
Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two blockbuster games and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Miami Marlins.
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New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies (7:05 PM ET)
Line: New York Mets (-170) at Philadelphia Phillies (+150); total: 8.5 – view all MLB lines
The New York Mets extended their winning streak to six games with a resounding 9-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Bartolo Colon was phenomenal for the Mets, tossing seven innings of shutout ball. The Mets will look to stretch their unbeaten run even further when they take on the Phillies in the final game of their four-game set.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Starting for the Mets this evening is Jonathon Niese (8-9, 3.80 ERA). He surrendered seven runs on 11 hits and two walks in 5.1 innings of action in New York’s 14-9 win against Colorado on August 22. The Mets have won three of their last four games with Niese as their starter.
The Phillies, on the other hand, will counter with right-hander Aaron Harang (5-14, 4.67 ERA). He pitched well this past Saturday against the Miami Marlins, allowing just two runs with three strikeouts and four walks in seven innings of work. He didn’t factor into the decision in that 4-2 win. That performance, though, snapped Harang’s three-game losing skid. He is 0-2 this season against the Mets despite surrendering just three earned runs in 13 innings.
The Mets are unbeaten in their last five road games against the Phillies.
Click here for a comprehensive preview of this matchup.
Writer’s Prediction
New York wins, 7-3.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (9:40 PM ET)
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (-130) at Arizona Diamondbacks (+120); total: 8.0 – view all MLB lines
The St. Louis Cardinals stretched their unbeaten run to four games with a thrilling 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. John Lackey pitched seven strong innings for the Cards, who moved 4.5 games clear in the NL Central race. The Cards will look to complete the series sweep later tonight when they lock horns with the D-Backs in the final game of their four-game series.
Pitching for St. Louis this evening is Carlos Martinez (12-6, 2.85 ERA). He was let down by his defense on Sunday, allowing five runs (one earned) on seven hits in just five innings of work in St. Louis’ humiliating 8-0 loss to the San Diego Padres. Martinez is now 0-2 in his last two starts.
The D-Backs, on the other hand, will have Rubby De La Rosa (11-5, 4.32 ERA) as their starting pitcher tonight. He was solid in his last start, allowing just two runs on seven hits in just seven innings of action in Arizona’s 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Arizona is 6-1 in De La Rosa’s last seven starts.
The Cardinals are 7-3 in their last 10 road games against the D-Backs.
