The New York Mets probably wouldn’t have hated it if a meteor halted baseball after the first week of the season. What a relief it must have been to start the year with four straight wins, distracting from the messy off-season they had this winter.

No meteor, though. Tears.

Since their 4-0 start, the Mets have lost two-straight, including a drubbing by the Washington Nationals Thursday night. New York only scored two runs combined over the last two days.

It won’t get much better with Cliff Lee on the mound. The Cy Young-winning lefty takes the mound on Friday in the first game of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park. Lee was sharp in his season debut with six strong innings, but was foiled when the bullpen blew it in extras.

For the Phillies to stay in contention, that bullpen (along with starting staff) will have to be the anchors. Gone are the days where they could outslug everyone. Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are both gone for an extended period with various injuries. Outfielder Hunter Pence has been forced to pick up the slack. He struggled in the season opener, going 0-for-4 but has reached base in each of the five games since.

Both teams are averaging exactly three runs a game, but the difference is Philadelphia only allows 2.50 runs in return. New York hitters have had a tough time figuring Lee out. The lefty is 2-0 in his career against the division rivals with an ERA below 0.50.
And so, Philly is a 1 1/2-run favorite on Bovada, with a -120 money line.

Good news for the Mets is third baseman David Wright might be back in the lineup after a two-game hiatus. He’s been out during their two-game slide and is clearly the team’s best bat. Through the first four games, Wright hit .583 with a homer and four RBI.