By Frank Klose, Sports Talk Philly Editor 
FLUSHING — Neither the Phillies or the Mets are particularly inspiring fans in 2017 with their play on the field. But Friday night's matchup between the two might be the one that interests Phillies fans most so far in this 2017 last-place season.
The Phillies have a new left fielder: Nick Williams. Williams was acquired in the Cole Hamels trade in 2015 and was one of the key pieces in the trade. Pitcher Alec Asher has already come and gone, and Jerad Eickhoff is a member of the starting rotation. Jake Thompson has had a cup of coffee and continues to develop. But the Phillies have most looked forward to Williams and Jorge Alfaro. Tonight Phillies fans finally get a glimpse of one of the big names.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (26-51) | New York Mets (36-42) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Ben Lively | RHP | Jacob deGrom | ||
| (1-2, 3.90 ERA) | (7-3 3.71 ERA) | ||||
Ben Lively — Age:25;
- Last Start: June 24, 2017, vs. AZ: L, 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 SO
- Career vs. Mets: N/A
Lively hit his first Major League home run in his last start in Arizona. He is the first Phillies to pitcher to hit a home run since Chad Billingsley on May 15, 2015. Lively is the first rookie pitcher to hit a home run since Tyler Green on August 23, 1995.
Jacob deGrom — Age: 29;
- Last Start: June 24, 2017, vs. SF: W, 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 SO
- Career vs. Phillies: (4-0), 8 G, 50.2 IP, 14 ER, 2.49 ERA
Jacob deGrom is the only pitcher in 2017 to throw 25 innings over three starts in a row. Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox came closest by throwing 24 innings over three starts.
Starting Lineups:
| Phillies (26-51) | New York Mets (36-42) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 1 | CF | Curtis Granderson | L |
| 2 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 2 | 2B | Asdrubal Cabrera | S |
| 3 | RF | Aaron Altherr | R | 3 | LF | Yoenis Cespedes | R |
| 4 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R | 4 | RF | Jay Bruce | L |
| 5 | 3B |
Maikel Franco |
R | 5 | 1B | Lucas Duda | L |
| 6 | LF | Nick Williams | L | 6 | 3B | Wilmer Flores | R |
| 7 | C | Andrew Knapp | S | 7 | SS | Jose Reyes | S |
| 8 | 2B | Ty Kelly | S | 8 | C | Travis d'Arnaud | R |
| 9 | P | Ben Lively | R | 9 | P | Jacob deGrom | L |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:10 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Williams will bat sixth in his Major League debut. He will wear number 5, last worn by Michael Saunders.
- The Phillies made room for Williams by placing Howie Kendrick on the 10-day disabled list with a tight hamstring.
- The Phillies bullpen is currently in the mist of an 11 1/3 inning scoreless streak.
What's Next:
- Saturday, July 1, 2017: vs. New York Mets, 4:10 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Jeremy Hellickson (5-4, 4.40 ERA) vs. Zach Wheeler (3-5, 5.29 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
