Phillies vs. Mets: Round One Begins Tomorrow

It's finally time for all the talking and prediction-making to stop and the games to begin: the Phillies and Mets start a three game series in New York tomorrow. Both teams are below .500, so this series could be used as a catalyst to a better April by whichever team wins. Here are the pitching match-ups for the series:

Game 1: Tues., Phillies (Jamie Moyer) @ Mets (Oliver Perez)
Game 2: Wed., Phillies (Kyle Kendrick) @ Mets (Mike Pelfrey)
Game 3: Thurs., Phillies (Adam Eaton) @ Mets (John Maine)

We won't be seeing any aces in this series, as both teams are sending out their second tier of starters. Just looking at the pitchers, games 1 and 2 could go either way, with a slight edge to the Mets, and game 3 there is a clear advantage for New York. While Adam Eaton has had some success against the Mets in his career, John Maine is simply a much better pitcher.

Jimmy Rollins backed up his talk last season, so now it's Carlos Beltran's turn to prove the Mets really are the "team to beat". These teams genuinely don't like each other, and both have been looking forward to this series for a long time. The Phillies played their best baseball against the Mets last year and that's a trend they'll look to continue.

*Phillies earn split with Reds Pat Burrell smashed two homers and Jimmy Rollins and Geoff Jenkins each hit one as the Phillies beat the Reds 5-3 to earn a 2-2 split in their four game series with the Reds. Cole Hamels pitched a good game, going 7 innings and giving up only one earned run. Brad Lidge earned his first save as a Phillie, although he had to work his way through a bases loaded jam to get it.

Highlights of the game courtesy of Comcast SportsNet: