Starting for the Mets in the opening game of this three-game set is Bartolo Colon. He struggled mightily in his last start against the Washington Nationals, surrendering six runs on 10 hits in just 4.2 innings of action. He gave up three solo homers in that game which the Mets still won, 9-7. That shaky performance, however, was an exception in an otherwise exceptional season for the ageless Colon. The 43-year-old veteran is 7-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 18 games for the Mets this year.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, will counter with Jeremy Hellickson (6-6, 3.92 ERA). The 29-year-old has clearly established himself as the ace of the Phillies’ rotation as he is the only starter among Philadelphia’s pitching staff with an ERA under 4.00 at the All-Star break. The veteran right-hander is striking out around eight hitters per nine innings this season, while only walking 2.3 per nine. The Phillies are unbeaten in Hellickson’s last three starts. He has allowed a total of just three earned runs during that span (18 innings).
The New York Mets headed into the All-Star break with their offense in disarray as their hitters ran into a buzz saw that was the Washington pitching staff. The Mets scored just four runs in their last three losses to the Nats. That was quite a shock considering the Mets scored a whopping 57 runs over their previous eight games.
The Mets’ offense may be cooling off right now but the same can’t be said about the in-form Philadelphia Phillies. They’re one of the hottest teams in the majors right now, winning 12 of their last 17 games. To everyone’s surprise, it was Philadelphia’s much-maligned offense that provided the spark for the Phillies’ recent turnaround.
Outfielder Peter Bourjoas has hit at an impressive .408 clip over his last 18 games to raise his average from .217 to .274. Third baseman Maikel Franco has been sizzling at the plate as well, hitting .400 in his last 16 games. He leads the Phillies with 18 homers and 52 RBIs this campaign. Center fielder Odubel Herrera has been the Phillies’ most consistent hitter this season and his exploits were rewarded with an All-Star appearance. He leads the Phillies in batting average (.294), on-base percentage (.378) and steals (12) this campaign.
Writer’s Prediction: Philadelphia (+118) opens the second half of the season with an impressive 6-2 win.
