Five keys to Mets-Phillies series
New York Mets' on-deck batter David Wright (5) greets Jason Bay after Bay's second-inning, two-run home run off New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia in a baseball game at Citi Field in New York, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Bay hit a second home run off Sabathia in the fifth inning. Credit: AP Photo/Kathy Willens
Wright might
David Wright has career OPS marks of 1.174 against tonight's Phillies starter, Jamie Moyer, and 1.027 against Thursday night's starter, Cole Hamels (he's at .573 against tomorrow's starter, Joe Blanton). With Wright heating up and Jason Bay (1.091 against Moyer) even hotter, the Mets need to continue to give their pitching staff room for error, as they did Saturday and Sunday. It likely will fall upon the Mets' two veteran, middle-of-the-order righties to make that happen.
The late shift
The Mets think they have a late-inning plan in place, which is more than the Phillies can say at the moment. The Phillies' top two relievers, Brad Lidge (right elbow) and Ryan Madson (broken toe), are on the disabled list; the Mets hope to use rookies Jenrry Mejia and Ryota Igarashi for the seventh and eighth to set up Francisco Rodriguez. Igarashi must show that his shaky ninth inning Sunday against the Yankees was a fluke.
Navigational difficulties
The Phillies are hitting better in May (.824 OPS) than they did in April (.756). The Mets' advance scouts could be more meaningful than usual if they can come up with plans of attack for this extremely accomplished group of hitters. It's all the more reason that the Mets need to hit.
Home runs
When the Mets go to Citizens Bank Park, there's that sense of dread that a game can turn at any moment. Such as their last game there, when Johan Santana turned a 5-2 lead into a 10-5 deficit in what felt like a blink. With the Mets playing well at home (16-9), they need to make the Phillies feel similarly uncomfortable. That means their pitchers should pound the strike zone, comfortable in the likelihood that there won't be too many Phillies home runs in the cavernous ballpark.
The big mo
Jerry Manuel reached back late Sunday for the old, true cliche: Momentum is nothing more than the next day's starting pitcher. Nevertheless, the Mets have been streaky, and they felt good about themselves after the two straight wins over the Yankees. Can that positive karma carry over? It can, to steal from Manuel, if R.A. Dickey pitches as well Tuesday night as he did in his debut last week and if the Mets beat up on Moyer as they have in the past.
Predictions Believe it or not, it'll be a Mets sweep. They'll win three straight over the Phillies by scores of 10-6, 8-2 and 4-1. That will set off a new round of Mets optimism, soon to be followed by Mets pessimism.
