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After rallying for a dramatic victory, the NL East-leading
Philadelphia Phillies
look to match their longest winning streak of the season Saturday night when they face the
New York Mets
at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies (48-39) have won four straight following a 5-13 stretch. They won a season-high five games in a row from May
25-30.
Philadelphia got closer to that mark on Friday, as
Shane Victorino
came through with a two-out, RBI single in the ninth to secure a 3-2 win over New York (42-44) in the opener of this four-game
series.
The Phillies are hitting .301 with seven homers, while outscoring opponents 22-9 during their winning streak.
The bullpen, which leads the majors with a 2.61 ERA, has also been a big part of the run, holding opponents to one run and
four hits with 14 strikeouts in 11 2-3 innings. Three relievers combined to limit the Mets to one hit in 4 1-3 scoreless inning
Friday.
Jamie Moyer
(7-6, 4.13 ERA) hopes to get some help Saturday when he takes the mound looking to halt a personal three-game slide.
The 45-year-old left-hander is 0-3 with a 4.14 ERA in his last three starts, but has received only two total runs of support.
That stretch comes after he went 5-0 with a 3.15 ERA in his six previous starts.
Moyer was reached for three runs and seven hits while fanning six and walking four in 5 2-3 innings in a 5-1 loss at Texas
on Sunday.
Moyer hasn't received much help in his last five starts against the Mets, going 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA while receiving nine total
runs of support. He pitched well in his last start against them, allowing two runs and seven hits over six innings in a 4-2
home loss on April 19.
The Mets, 5 1-2 games behind the Phillies, have lost two straight to them - the last two by one run.
"We haven't been able to find a way to win these close games," said Mets third baseman
David Wright
, who went 0-for-3 on Friday.
New York now turns to
John Maine
(8-6, 3.86), who hopes to continue his dominance of Philadelphia as he comes off one of his shortest outings of the season.
The right-hander is 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA in seven starts against the Phillies, six of those resulting in wins for New York.
He helped the Mets beat them on April 10, yielding one run and five hits while walking five over six innings in a 4-3, 12-inning
victory.
Maine is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two games at Philadelphia.
He struggled early on Monday, allowing two runs in the opening inning before taking the loss in a 7-1 defeat at St. Louis.
He was pulled after four innings, yielding five runs - three earned - and seven hits, while claiming he prepared poorly between
starts and also had a "dead arm."
"It's not like I was sick, it's just that my arm just had no life," said Maine, who won his previous two starts with a 2.84
ERA. "Hopefully, you just chalk it up to one of those days."
New York's
Damion Easley
has been hot of late, going 9-for-19 (.474) with five RBIs in his last six games. The second baseman has started four consecutive
games after
Luis Castillo
suffered a strained left hip flexor and landed on the disabled list Thursday.
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