Mets at Phillies
Vince Velasquez's first season with Philadelphia has gotten off to a rousing start. The talented right-hander seeks a third straight dominant outing Tuesday when the Phillies host the New York Mets in the second contest of the three-game series.
Velasquez came over last winter in the trade that sent closer Ken Giles to Houston and he has more than lived up to the hype. The 23-year-old has pitched 15 scoreless innings over his first two starts, allowing six hits while striking out 25. The first start in his Phillies career was a 1-0 win over the Mets on April 9, when he tossed six innings to help Philadelphia take two of three at Citi Field that weekend. New York gained a measure of revenge with a 5-1 triumph in Monday's series opener as Noah Syndergaard delivered seven strong innings and David Wright homered twice.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), CSN (Philadelphia)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Logan Verrett (0-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Vince Velasquez (2-0, 0.00)
Verrett made a spot-start in place of Jacob deGrom against Miami last week and logged six scoreless innings in a 2-1 victory. His only other work this season came in a one-inning relief appearance against Philadelphia on April 10, when he allowed a walk and an RBI double to Andres Blanco. Opponents are batting just .167 against the 25-year-old this season and he has yet to allow a hit with a runner in scoring position (0-for-6).
Velasquez struck out 16 without a walk in last week's dominant 3-0 victory against San Diego, as he continues to own righties (1-for-25) and lefties (5-for-26). Asdrubal Cabrera had a single and a double against Velasquez earlier this month, but the rest of his teammates went 1-for-26 that night. His 0.60 WHIP currently ranks second in the NL behind Clayton Kershaw's 0.55 mark.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cabrera is 10-for-22 during a six-game hitting streak.
2. New York 1B Lucas Duda has driven in two runs in each of the last two games after totaling one RBI over his previous nine outings.
3. The Phillies have scored three runs or fewer in eight consecutive games.