The Mets are hot. No denying that. The Phillies are 50-76, but that record is deceiving. Philadelphia is 21-14 following the All-Star break and catch the Mets' lone weak spot in their starting pitching rotation - Bartolo Colon.

The 42-year-old Colon predictably is fading down the stretch after pitching well early in the season. Colon has a fat 6.08 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break. The Mets are 2-9 in Colon's last 11 starts. He also has a 5.25 ERA against the Phillies this season.

Philadelphia has a good track record lately in this kind of underdog role winning six of the past seven times when priced between plus $1.10 and $1.50.

The Phillies should be fired up, too, for this matchup after both benches emptied last night after Mets reliever Hansel Robles quick-pitched Darin Ruf. The Phillies are frustrated having lost seven in a row to the Mets. They have never lost eight in a row to the Mets during a season.

None of this may matter, however, if rookie Jerad Eickhoff doesn't pitch well given how bad the Phillies' middle relief is.

This will be Eickhoff's second start. The Phillies like his competitive nature and his ability to throw strikes. Eickhoff was tremendous in his first start beating the Marlins, 7-1, on the road this past Friday. He held the Marlins to five hits and struck out five in six scoreless innings. Eickhoff came to Philadelphia in the Cole Hamels deal to Texas.

My feeling is that while there is an unknown quality to Eickhoff the known quality of Colon late in the season is not good, which is born out by his recent form.