The Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets meet Saturday in MLB doubleheader action from Citi Field. These matchups mark the first and second installments in the final regular-season series of 2023. We were originally supposed to see the opener on Friday before a rainout and postponement changed the plans. Check back all season long for free MLB at Sports Chat Place.

Philadelphia Phillies 

The Phillies took on the Pirates this week and did pretty well, winning the first pair of games in the series before a 3-2 loss on Thursday. Philadelphia was out-hit 11-5 in that one and never held a lead. Kyle Schwarber managed a solo homer as the lone RBI.

Taijuan Walker will take the mound for game one on Saturday. Walker is 15-5 with a 4.35 ERA and 135 strikeouts this year. Michael Plassmeyer will take the game two start for the Phillies in his season debut. Plassmeyer is 0-1 in his career with a 3.68 ERA in two games (zero starts).  

Philadelphia Phillies Team Facts

The Phillies have lost nine of their last 10 games at Citi Field.
The Phillies have covered the run line in eight of their last nine road games against NL East opponents following a home loss.
The Phillies have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last five games at Citi Field.
The Phillies have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last five games at Citi Field.
The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Phillies’ last three road games.

New York Mets

The Mets had a series versus the Marlins this week. New York split the first pair, then trailed 2-1 in the ninth inning on Thursday before a long rain delay. That game was eventually suspended and may have to be finished on Monday if we’ve got Wild Card considerations still on the table by then. 

In the game one start, the Mets will go with Tylor Megill. This season Megill is 8-8 with a 4.92 ERA and 98 Ks. Jose Quintana will take the game two start for the Mets on Saturday. Over his 12 starts this year Quintana is 3-6 with a 3.39 ERA and 55 Ks in 71.2 innings.

New York Mets Team Facts

The Mets have won each of their last six home games against the Phillies following a loss.
The Mets have covered the run line 13 of their last 15 day games against National League opponents that held a winning record.
The Mets have led after 3 innings in each of their last four home day games.
The Mets have led after 5 innings in each of their last six home day games. 
The Mets have led after 7 innings in each of their last five games against the Phillies at Citi Field.

Matchup/League Facts

The New York Mets rank 29th in the league for doubles this season (218).
The New York Mets rank 28th in the league for hits this season (1254).
The Philadelphia Phillies are one of only 3 teams in the league to rank top 10 in both steals and batting average this season.
The Philadelphia Phillies are one of only 3 teams in the league to rank top 10 in both steals and home runs this season.

ANDREW’S FREE GAME 1 PICK 

I imagine I’ll go with Philadelphia in game one. The Phillies posted 12 runs in three games during the Pirates series, which was a bit of a letdown considering their recent performance at the plate. Philadelphia’s offense should be able to carry the team, even as they shuffle the pitching staff for the playoff run. 

ANDREW’S FREE GAME 2 PICK 

I’ll probably take a stab on the Mets here. Quintana needs a good bounce-back effort after his last start, though. Back on September 23 (against Philly), Quintana put up 6.0 innings with five earned on eight hits. In his two starts prior however, Quintana went 1-0 with 11.2 innings and four earned runs.