Philadelphia Phillies (62-49, third in the NL East) vs. New York Mets (73-39, first in the NL East) New York; Friday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Phillies: Ranger Suarez (8-5, 3.68 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 85 strikeouts); Mets: Max Scherzer (8-2, 1.98 ERA, .90 WHIP, 120 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets host the Philadelphia Phillies to open a three-game series.
New York is 73-39 overall and 38-18 in home games. Mets hitters are batting a collective .260, the fourth-best team batting average in MLB play.
Philadelphia has gone 30-23 in road games and 62-49 overall. The Phillies are fifth in MLB play with 148 total home runs, averaging 1.3 per game.
Friday’s game is the 13th time these teams meet this season. The Mets are up 9-3 in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Pete Alonso leads the Mets with 29 home runs while slugging .542. Jeff McNeil is 14-for-37 with five doubles, two home runs and seven RBI over the past 10 games.
Kyle Schwarber has 16 doubles, 34 home runs and 69 RBI for the Phillies. Rhys Hoskins is 7-for-33 with a double, four home runs and six RBI over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mets: 8-2, .298 batting average, 3.64 ERA, outscored opponents by 25 runs
Phillies: 8-2, .284 batting average, 3.60 ERA, outscored opponents by 21 runs
INJURIES: Mets: Tommy Hunter: 15-Day IL (back), Drew Smith: 15-Day IL (back), Tylor Megill: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Sean Reid-Foley: 60-Day IL (elbow), John Curtiss: 60-Day IL (elbow), Joey Lucchesi: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Phillies: Kyle Schwarber: day-to-day (undisclosed), Hans Crouse: 60-Day IL (biceps), Zach Eflin: 60-Day IL (knee), James McArthur: 60-Day IL (elbow), Damon Jones: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Bryce Harper: 10-Day IL (thumb), Sam Coonrod: 60-Day IL (shoulder)