Phillies, Eflin Seek 20th Series Win in Finale Against Mets

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Looking for their first series win against the Mets of 2018 — and their 20th overall — the Philadelphia Phillies (77-73) and RHP Zach Eflin will take on RHP Noah Syndergaard and the New York Mets (70-81) in the last of a three-game set Wednesday evening at Citizens Bank Park. Odubel Herrera will make his second career start in left field out of 526 career starts overall.

The Phillies defeated the Mets, 5-2, on Tuesday, thanks to catcher Jorge Alfaro's game-winning three-run blast in the sixth, his 10th. Prior in the inning, Wilson Ramos and Justin Bour each hit pinch-hit RBI base-knocks, their 15th and 59th of the season, respectively. Pat Neshek notched his third win, Seranthony Dominguez (14) and Tommy Hunter (25) picked up holds, and Hector Neris recorded his 11th save, his first since June 16. Cesar Hernandez stole his career high-tying 19th base. Carlos Santana went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, raising his batting average to a season-high .234.

The last time the Phillies won 20 or more series was in 2012 (24). They won 16 series in 2017, 18 in 2016, 14 in 2015, and 19 in 2014 and 2013.

Starting Pitching Matchup:

New York Mets (70-81)			Philadelphia Phillies (77-73)
RHP	Noah Syndergaard		RHP	Zach Eflin
RHP	(12-3, 3.26 ERA)		RHP	(10-7, 4.26 ERA)

RHP Noah Syndergaard, Age: 26

2018 vs. PHI: 1-1, 5.51 ERA, 3 G, 3 GS, 16 1/3 IP, 24 H, 10 R, 10 ER, HR, 9 BB, 16 SO, 2.020 WHIP
Career vs. PHI: 5-2, 2.96 ERA, 9 G, 9 GS, 51 2/3 IP, 48 H, 21 R, 17 ER, 4 HR, 16 BB, 58 SO, 1.239 WHIP
Career at Citizens Bank Park: 2-1, 3.20 ERA, 4 G, 4 GS, 19 2/3 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 7 BB, 24 SO, 1.220 WHIP

Syndergaard's 2.020 WHIP against the Phillies this season is his highest among all of his 14 different teams faced. Over his last eight starts since August 6, Syndergaard is 6-1 with a 3.69 ERA, 51-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .252/.320/.316 opposing slash spanning 53 2/3 innings.

RHP Zach Eflin, Age: 24

2018 vs. NYM: 1-1, 7.98 ERA, 3 G, 3 GS, 14 2/3 IP, 16 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 14 SO, 1.500 WHIP
Career vs. NYM: 1-3, 6.10 ERA, 6 G, 6 GS, 31 IP, 31 H, 22 R, 21 ER, 5 HR, 11 BB, 25 SO, 1.355 WHIP
Career at Citizens Bank Park: 8-8, 4.56 ERA, 20 G, 20 GS, 120 1/3 IP, 120 H, 65 R, 61 ER, 24 HR, 27 BB, 97 SO, 1.222 WHIP

Eflins' 6.65 ERA since August 20 is the 12th worst among all pitchers — minimum 20 innings pitched — and is the seventh-worst in the National League, trailing only Tyler Anderson (7.71), Trevor Richards (7.66), Robbie Erlin (7.33), Anthony DeSclafani (6.90), Zack Godley (6.75) and teammate Vince Velasquez (6.75).

Starting Lineups:

New York Mets (70-81)				Philadelphia Phillies (77-73)
	Position	Player	Bats		Position	Player	Bats
1		TBA		1	2B	Cesar Hernandez	S
2				2	1B	Rhys Hoskins	R
3				3	CF	Roman Quinn	S
4				4	3B	Carlos Santana	S
5				5	C	Wilson Ramos	R
6				6	LF	Odubel Herrera	L
7				7	RF	Aaron Altherr	R
8				8	SS	J.P. Crawford	L
9				9	P	Zach Eflin	R

Broadcast Information:

First pitch: 6:05 p.m.
TV: NBCSP
Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game Notes:

With 12 games remaining in the season, the Phillies trail the division-leading Atlanta Braves by 5 1/2 games. The club sits six games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second National League Wild Card spot.
Wednesday's Postseason Race Matchups:
- St. Louis Cardinals (RHP Jack Flaherty) at Atlanta Braves (RHP Touki Toussaint), 12:10 p.m.
- Cincinnati Reds (RHP Matt Harvey) at Milwaukee Brewers (LHP Gio Gonzalez), 7:40 p.m.
- Chicago Cubs (LHP Cole Hamels) at Arizona Diamondbacks (LHP Robbie Ray), 9:40 p.m.
- Colorado Rockies (LHP Tyler Anderson) at Los Angeles Dodgers (RHP Walker Buehler), 10:10 p.m.
National League Postseason Contenders' Remaining Opponents after Wednesday:
- Atlanta Braves: 4 vs. PHI, 3 @ NYM, 3 @ PHI
- Arizona Diamondbacks: 3 vs. COL, 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ SDP
- Chicago Cubs: 3 @ CWS, 4 vs. PIT, 3 vs. STL
- Colorado Rockies: 3 @ ARI, 4 vs. PHI, 3 vs. WSH
- Los Angeles Dodgers: 3 vs. SDP, 3 @ ARI, 3 @ SFG
- Milwaukee Brewers: 3 @ PIT, 3 @ STL, 3 vs. DET
- Philadelphia Phillies: 4 @ ATL, 4 @ COL, 3 vs. ATL
- St. Louis Cardinals: 3 vs. SFG, 3 vs. MIL, 3 @ CHC
This season against Syndergaard, Rhys Hoskins has a solo home run, double and three walks over nine plate appearances. Hernandez is 7-for-9 against the right-hander with two RBI (click to expand).