The New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies will open a 4-game set tonight at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets sit 7 games back of the Phillies for the lead in the NL East so if they want to gain some ground on their rival this is their opportunity. New York is expected to give the nod to rookie sensation Nolan McLean, who has been dealing. He is a perfect 4-0 with an ERA of only 1.37 and a 0.76 WHIP. In his last turn against a really good Detroit Tigers team, McLean was throwing flames, yielding just 2 runs on 3 hits over 6 innings of work and the Mets went on to a 12-5 romp. The Phillies are expected to counter with Aaron Nola, whose struggles continue. Nola is 3-8 with a 6.78 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. He was lit up in his last turn against Milwaukee where he gave up 6 runs on 6 hits over 5 innings of work and the Brewers went on to a 6-3 win. The last time these two teams met back in August in Queens, New York swept Philly over a 3-game set outscoring them 25-8.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK METS