Mets at Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies look to extend their winning streak to three when they kick off a three-game home series against the National League East-rival New York Mets on Monday. Philadelphia dropped a 7-6 decision to Washington in its home opener on Friday before outscoring the Nationals 21-6 in winning the next two contests.
Jeanmar Gomez squandered a 3-0 lead by serving up a two-out, three-run homer to pinch-hitter Ryan Zimmerman in the top of the ninth, but Cesar Hernandez delivered an RBI single - his second of the game - with two outs in the bottom of the inning as Philadelphia evened its record after six contests. New York takes to the road for the first time after going 3-3 on its season-opening homestand. The Mets salvaged the finale of their three-game series against Miami on Sunday as Michael Conforto homered and drove in two runs in his first start of the year while Noah Syndergaard struck out nine over seven strong innings en route to a 5-2 triumph. Jose Reyes continues to struggle at the plate, going 0-for-4 on Sunday to drop his average to .043 this season.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), TCN (Philadelphia)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Jacob deGrom (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Jerad Eickhoff (0-1, 2.70)
DeGrom showed no ill effects from his elbow surgery in September as he struck out six and limited Atlanta to two hits over six scoreless innings on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Floridian settled for a no-decision and has gone six starts without a victory since defeating the New York Yankees on Aug. 2. DeGrom has gone 4-0 in seven career turns against the Phillies, including a one-hit shutout on July 17 at Philadelphia.
Eickhoff suffered a worse fate than deGrom in his season debut as he also pitched well and received no offensive support but took the loss against Cincinnati on Wednesday. The 26-year-old native of Indiana yielded only two runs and five hits over 6 2/3 innings while recording six strikeouts and one walk. Eickhoff also has had no luck against the Mets in his career, posting a 2.66 ERA in seven career starts but owning a 1-4 record.
EXTRA BASES
1. The Mets hit 34 home runs in 19 games against the Phillies last season - their highest total versus any one opponent.
2. Philadelphia is considering removing Gomez from the closer's role after his performance on Sunday.
3. Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, who is trying his hand at a baseball career with the Mets, has recorded two homers and five RBIs in three games with Single-A Columbia.