Alan Rangel (0-0, 2.25 ERA) draws Christian Scott (2-0, 3.10 ERA) for a 4:10 PM ET first pitch at Citi Field. Rangel is making just his 2nd rotation start after a quiet but solid June 22 debut against Washington — 5 innings, 1 earned run, 4 strikeouts, 0 walks — in what was ultimately a 4-1 loss. Scott is returning from the 15-day IL after a hip impingement shut him down following his June 11 start against St. Louis, and the Mets specifically timed his return for this series.
Scott's last outing before the injury was shaky at the end: 4.2 innings, 4 earned runs, 7 hits, 88 pitches against the Cardinals in a no-decision. He got a cortisone injection and looked fine in bullpen sessions, but this will be his first live game action in 16 days. There's almost certainly a pitch count attached, which means a stretched Mets bullpen — already dealing with multiple arms on the IL — will be tested early.
Philadelphia has become one of the hotter teams in the National League since Don Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson in early May after the club started 9-19. The Phillies went 37-17 under Mattingly to climb into the top NL Wild Card spot. Last night was the latest example: Trea Turner singled home Derek Hill in the 7th inning for the tiebreaker, and Hill had already robbed Juan Soto of a 2-run homer earlier in the game to keep it close. Final: 2-1 Phillies, spoiling Andy Green's managerial debut. Mattingly said of his rotation: 'Our pitching hasn't just been good. It's been crazy good.' The staff ERA since he took over has been 2.55, led by Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler.
- Day-To-DayLiover Peguero SS — The Phillies reassigned Peguero to minor-league camp Sunday.
- Day-To-DayAndrew Bechtold 3B — no
- Day-To-DayAndrew Walling RP
- Day-To-DayCarson DeMartini SS
- Day-To-DayDaniel Robert RP — Robert suffered a cardiac incident Sunday while preparing to throw a bullpen session and was taken to a local hospital, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayMark Kolozsvary C — Kolozsvary (undisclosed) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrad Keller RP — Keller picked up the save Wednesday against the Athletics, allowing no runs on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning. He struck out one.
- 60-Day-ILJohan Rojas CF — Rojas (suspension) underwent surgery Friday to repair the UCL in his right elbow and will face an expected recovery timeline of 6-to-8 months, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- Day-To-DayChristian Arroyo 2B — The Mets re-signed Arroyo to a minor-league contract Tuesday.
- Day-To-DayRyan Lambert RP — Triple-A Syracuse placed Lambert on the 7-day injured list June 4 due to an unspecified injury.
- Day-To-DayMike Baumann RP — Baumann signed a minor-league deal with the Mets on Wednesday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrandon Waddell RP — Waddell (shoulder) picked up the win after allowing three runs on four hits while striking out two across three innings during Saturday's game against Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
- Day-To-DayMike Tauchman RF — Tauchman (knee) is still rehabbing at the Mets' spring training complex and has yet to resume baseball activities, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayJoe Jacques RP — The Mets signed Jacques to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKevin Herget RP — Herget signed a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Mets on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayJose Rojas 3B — Triple-A Salt Lake placed Rojas on its COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The Mets fired Carlos Mendoza on Friday morning after a 4-game Cubs sweep at Citi Field — a series that included 6 infield errors in a single game — and Steve Cohen said publicly that fans deserve better. Green took over and lost immediately. New York sits at 34-48 with no Marcus Semien (10-day IL), no Luis Robert Jr. (60-day IL), and multiple relievers unavailable. Johan Rojas and Adolis Garcia are both 60-day IL entries for the Phillies, so Philadelphia isn't whole either — but the gap between where these teams are right now is about as wide as it's been all season.