MLB Game Preview - NY Mets at Philadelphia

Sun Sep 1, 2019 7:08 PM EDT

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies both damaged their long-shot playoff hopes during the final days of August. But despite being further back in the wild-card standings, the Mets will begin September feeling better about themselves than the Phillies.

The up-and-down Mets will look to complete a three-game road sweep Sunday night when they visit the Phillies. Marcus Stroman (7-12, 3.29 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for New York against Philadelphia's Zach Eflin (8-11, 4.50) in a battle of right-handers.

The Mets won Saturday afternoon as Wilson Ramos had four hits to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 24 games and Todd Frazier delivered three hits and a pair of RBIs in a 6-3 win.

The two-game winning streak follows a six-game losing streak for the Mets that threatened to knock them out of the playoff race they'd climbed back into by going a baseball-best 27-10 between July 12 and Aug. 22. New York finally gained some ground in the chase for the second wild-card berth Saturday as well, as it pulled within four games of Chicago following the Cubs' 2-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

"We have an opportunity," Mets manager Mickey Callaway told reporters following the game Saturday. "And that's the way we've always viewed everything. There's an opportunity to win the next game. And if we continue that focus, we can continue to give ourselves more opportunities day in and day out. And that's what you want."

The Phillies are incrementally closer to a playoff spot (3 1/2 games behind the Cubs) than the Mets, but were in a far more dour mood Saturday. Philadelphia has produced just two winning streaks longer than two games since July 1, a span in which it has gone 25-25.

"Super frustrating," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler told reporters following Saturday's loss. "It's a game we have to win. We have to come out (Sunday) and be better."

Stroman took the loss last Tuesday, when he gave up four runs over six innings and the Mets fell to the Cubs 5-2. He is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA and has yet to produce a quality start in five tries since being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for a pair of minor league pitchers on July 28.

Eflin earned a long-awaited win in his most recent start on Aug. 24, when he allowed two runs over six innings and the Phillies cruised past the Miami Marlins 9-3 on the road. The victory was the first in 10 appearances (six starts) for Eflin, who was 0-4 with an 8.42 ERA in between wins.

Stroman is 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA in three career appearances (one start) against the Phillies. Eflin is 3-4 with a 6.00 ERA in nine starts against the Mets, whom he's faced more than any other opponent.

--Field Level Media