Phillies pitching plan vs. NY Mets is a little insulting, more unwise

We know the New York Mets have a pulse. That doesn’t suggest they can do much for the remainder of the year. They begin their second-half with a standalone game on Thursday July 16 down in Philadelphia where the rival Phillies will not give us their best pitchers possible.

Aaron Nolan, Jesus Luzardo, and Alan Rangel are the three the Mets will face with Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez getting pushed back for their following series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There’s an argument to be made about saving your best options for the superior team. Taking whatever games they can from the Dodgers has its benefits for the Phillies, especially if they’re able to take the NL East from the Atlanta Braves. A counteragument exists, too, if the Mets show signs of life in these three games.

The Phillies are taking it easy against the Mets and that’s probably not a smart idea

The Phillies have a long way to go before they can catch the Dodgers, a 54 win team versus 61. They’re only one behind the Braves in the win column. Why not give yourself the best chance possible against the Mets? They could easily sweep the Mets with the three starters they have chosen. Why rob yourself of even one victory? It’s not as if Wheeler pitched in the All-Star Game like Sanchez and Luzardo did.

It might not all be about the opponent. Extra days off for the big duo of Wheeler and Sanchez is sensible. Wheeler dealt with an injury to end last year early and hold him back from being ready for Opening Day this year. They’re going to need both if they want to compete with the Dodgers when it matters in the postseason. The Dodgers have seen both pitchers before so it’s not as if they’re hiding anything. 

Still, one can’t help but wonder if maybe the Phillies are overlooking the Mets. Yeah, New York has been bad in July. Most of the trouble has been the pitching. The Mets are ninth in runs scored this month. They’ve also given up more runs than any other team.

Philadelphia has chosen to battle with their best against the best rather than set themselves up for an opportunity to annihilate the Mets and take an “any given day” approach against the Dodgers. Not scared of what the Mets can possibly do against them, nor should they be, the smarter play might be to take the intradivisional wins where they can find them. A win versus the Mets counts double because it will help with the first tie-breaker after head-to-head record. Beating the Dodgers in the regular season won’t have nearly the same incentive other than bragging rights.

Will anyone be surprised if after a long layoff Wheeler pitches a dud against the Dodgers next week? The Mets don’t have much to play for in the standings, but you better believe all nine in the starting lineup have the incentive to shake up the Phillies. If not for themselves, do it for Mr. Met.

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