By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Flushing, NY - The Philadelphia Phillies look to salvage the final game of their three-game series with the New York Mets this afternoon at Citi Field.
The Phillies defeat was an embarrassing one last night, falling by a score of 12-1. Jeremy Hellickson struggled, the bullpen looked shaky and the offense was nowhere to be seen, with the exception of an early Freddy Galvis homer. The bats were held silent by Mets ace Noah Syndergaard, who improved to 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA in four career starts against the Phils.
In today's finale, Vince Velasquez will get the start in hopes of putting together a few strong outings before he's shut down for the season. The Mets are sending Robert Gsellman to the hill as they aim for the sweep.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (59-70) | New York Mets (66-63) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Vince Velasquez | RHP | Robert Gsellman | ||
| (8-6, 4.31 ERA) | (1-0, 0.00 ERA) | ||||
Vince Velasquez has had a month that he'd like to forget. In four August starts, the right-hander that came to the Philies in the Ken Giles trade is 0-3 with an 8.86 ERA, giving up 21 earned runs in 21.1 innings while walking eight and surrendering eight home runs. While his strikeout numbers are still high, Velasquez has been having issues getting ahead in the count and putting together efficient innings to lower his pitch count. His most recent start was a loss against the Cardinals. In six innings, he allowed five runs on seven hits while striking out seven and walking two. In two starts against New York this season, he's 1-1 with a 1.74 ERA.
Gsellman takes over in the rotation for Jonathan Niese, who is scheduled to have season-ending knee surgery. In relief of Niese last week, he tossed 3.2 scoreless innings, striking out two. He went 4-9 with a 3.99 ERA as a starter this season with the Mets Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (59-70) | New York Mets (66-63) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 1 | 3B | Jose Reyes | S |
| 2 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 2 | SS | Asdrubal Cabrera | S |
| 3 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 3 | 2B | Kelly Johnson | L |
| 4 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R | 4 | RF | Jay Bruce | L |
| 5 | LF | Aaron Altherr | R | 5 | LF | Curtis Granderson | L |
| 6 | RF | Jimmy Paredes | S | 6 | CF | Alejandro De Aza | L |
| 7 | C | A.J. Ellis | R | 7 | 1B | James Loney | L |
| 8 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 8 | C | Travis D'Arnaud | R |
| 9 | P | Vince Velasquez | L | 9 | P | Robert Gsellman | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:10 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- The Phillies have lost 12 of their last 14 series against the Mets.
- After allowing just three homers in nine starts from June 3 to August 4, Velasquez surrendered eight homers in his last three outings.
- Despite a 7.26 ERA from their starters in August, the Phillies have managed an 11-11 record.
- In four of the last five games, the Phillies have allowed nine or more runs.
- A.J. Ellis has just six extra base hits in 161 plate appearances and has a .194 batting average this season.
What's Next:
- Monday, August 29th, 2016: vs. Washington Nationals at 7:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Jake Thompson (1-3, 9.78 ERA) vs. TBD
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP
