By: Rebecca Serad, contributor 
PHILADELPHIA — After last night's 5-2 loss to Noah Syndergaard and the New York Mets (6-6), the Philadelphia Phillies (6-8) look to bounce back against Mets' spot starter Logan Verrett. So far during the current 10-game homestand, the team is 4-4 and trying to creep back to the .500 mark on the season after losing this past weekend's series to the Washington Nationals.
However, the spotlight will be on Phillies starter Vince Velasquez tonight, who is coming off a masterful complete game shutout against the San Diego Padres. He racked up a career-high 16 strikeouts without walking any batters. Velasquez also reached a career-high number of pitches with 113, and both Phillies' coaches and fans alike will be watching to see how he bounces back and if he's able to replicate his previous success.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| New York Mets (6-6) | Philadelphia Phillies (6-8) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Logan Verrett | RHP | Vince Velasquez | ||
| (0-0, 1.29 ERA) | (2-0, 0.00 ERA) | ||||
Vince Velasquez is coming off the best start of his young career, a complete game shutout in which he compiled sixteen strikeouts versus the San Diego Padres. So far this season, Velasquez has pitched 15 innings and struck out 25 batters, only allowing three walks over those two starts. It may be early in his career, but the 23-year-old is already exciting Phillies fans with his electric pitches and confidence on the mound.
For the Mets, Logan Verrett is making a spot start for Jacob deGrom, who is currently on the family medical emergency list due to complications with his newborn son. In Verrett's last start in the place of deGrom versus the Marlins, he allowed zero runs and struck out six batters over six innings in a no-decision. Verrett was originally drafted by the Mets in 2011 before switching teams multiple times via the Rule 5 draft, ultimately returning to the Mets last season.
Starting Lineups:
| New York Mets (6-6) | Philadelphia Phillies (6-8) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | RF | Curtis Granderson | L | 1 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S |
| 2 | 3B | David Wright | R | 2 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 3 | LF | Michael Conforto | L | 3 | 2B | Andres Blanco | S |
| 4 | CF | Yoenis Cespedes | R | 4 | 1B | Ryan Howard | L |
| 5 | 1B | Lucas Duda | L | 5 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 6 | 2B | Neil Walker | S | 6 | RF | David Lough | L |
| 7 | SS | Asdrubal Cabrera | S | 7 | C | Cameron Rupp | R |
| 8 | C | Travis d'Arnaud | R | 8 | LF | Tyler Goeddel | R |
| 9 | P | Logan Verrett | R | 9 | P | Vince Velasquez | S |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera has drawn at least one walk in each of his last five games and leads the majors in pitches seen per plate appearance with 5.2.
- With his two home runs last night, Mets third baseman David Wright has compiled more hits (117) and more homers (22) at Citizens Bank Park than any other Mets player in history as a player at an opposing team's Major League ballpark.
- The Phillies doubled their team total in steals last night thanks to three against Mets starter Noah Syndergaard.
What's Next:
- Wednesday, April 20, 2016: vs. New York Mets, 7:05 p.m.
- Philadelphia, PA – Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Bartolo Colon (1-1, 2.13 ERA) vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (1-1, 4.30 ERA)
- TV: TCN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
