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Without Maikel Franco, Phillies seek first win in series opener with NL Champion Mets
Published08 Apr 2016
By: Erik Seybold, contributor 
FLUSHING, New York — After an 0-3 start to kick off the season, the Phillies (0-3) will look to land their first win of the season as they open up a three-game series against the reigning National League Champion New York Mets (1-1). Coming into Citi Field with a .204 team average and a 6.66 team ERA, the Phillies will have to face the young arms of the Mets rotation which is third in all of baseball with a 1.59 ERA.
Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, who has three career starts against the Mets, will make his first start of the season and will oppose Mets righty Jacob deGrom. This matchup of right-handed pitchers will prove an entertaining matchup for these two National League East rivals.
The big news going into the game is that Maikel Franco will not play. After getting hit on the elbow with a pitch in Thursday's finale in Cincinnati, Franco's elbow is "sore". Andres Blanco will start in his place. To compensate for Franco in the lineup, Freddy Galvis will precede Cesar Hernandez at the top of the lineup and Odubel Herrera will bat third.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (0-3) | New York Mets (1-1) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Jerad Eickhoff | RHP | Jacob deGrom | ||
| (2015: 3-3, 2.56 ERA) | (14-8, 2.54 ERA) | ||||
Out of his eight starts last year Jerad Eickhoff made three against the Mets, all of which were quality starts. Eickhoff is eager to continue his successful 2015 rookie season into 2016 as a member of the starting rotation. His counterpart de Grom is expecting his first child and is preparing to start Friday's home opener. Although he is still slated to start, he is still on call to fly to his home in Florida to be with his family. The 2015 all-star will be making his first start of the season and will seek continued success in his young career.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (0-3) | New York Mets (1-1) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 1 | RF | Curtis Granderson | L |
| 2 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 2 | 3B | David Wright | R |
| 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 3 | CF | Yoenis Cespedes | R |
| 4 | 1B | Ryan Howard | L | 4 | 1B | Lucas Duda | L |
| 5 | 3B | Andres Blanco | S | 5 | 2B | Neil Walker | S |
| 6 | RF | Cedric Hunter | L | 6 | LF | Michael Conforto | L |
| 7 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | 7 | SS | Asdrubal Cabrera | S |
| 8 | LF | Manny Burriss | S | 8 | C | Travis d'Arnaud | R |
| 9 | P | Jerad Eickhoff | R | 9 | P | Jacob de Grom | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:10 PM ET
- TV: CSN, MLB Network (subject to blackout in some areas)
- Radio: 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- The Phillies have only scored just 10 runs this season, which is 16th in the league.
- Winning 14 of their last 19 meetings, the Mets have had the Phillies number, including an 8-1 record at home against Philadelphia in 2015.
- The Phillies have four switch-hitters in the lineup today.
What's Next:
- Saturday, April 9, 2016: at New York Mets, 7:10 p.m.
- Citi Field
- RHP Vince Velasquez (2015: 1-1, 4.37 ERA) vs. TBD
- TV: CSN, MLB Network Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
