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The Yankees will also be in town, against Minnesota, but Yanks-Twins doesn't match up to Mets-Phillies, not the way things have gone between the teams for the last year or so.
The Phillies, of course, came back from seven games down to overtake the Mets down the stretch and win the division title last season. Now it's the Mets who have come back, from 71/2 games down - that's how much they trailed the Phillies by after the games of June 13 - to pull into a first-place tie with the Phils with 21/2 months to play.
And, as the Phillies have learned so painfully, this is actually a three-team race. The hungry Florida Marlins, who took two of three from the Phils over the weekend, are a game behind the division coleaders after losing to Atlanta last night.
Fasten your seats belts and return your tray tables to their upright positions. This could be some kind of ride.
The two featured performers in tonight's Shea showdown were not part of the rivalry last year.
Lefthander Johan Santana, picked up by the Mets in an off-season trade with Minnesota, was brought in to ensure that a collapse such as the one the Mets suffered in September never happens again. Santana has been tough on the Phils this season, limiting them to five runs in 15 innings and striking out 16 while walking none.
Meanwhile, Joe Blanton, acquired from Oakland for three minor-league prospects last week, will be making his Phillies debut on enemy grounds. For the 27-year-old righthander, getting the call in the series opener will be like stepping into a crucible. Hot town, summer in the city. Jimmy Rollins getting booed. Chase Utley getting booed. (Bite your tongue, big guy.)
"I'm excited,'' Blanton said. "Maybe there will be a few butterflies, but once you get settled in, it's about competing."
Brett Myers will return from a remedial trip to the minors and start tomorrow night. Myers has already stoked the embers of the rivalry, saying: "I can't think of a better team for me to come back against. I don't like them. We're not supposed to like them. Nothing against the guys on the team - they're our rivals. We like beating them; they like beating us.''
Competitiveness is one of Blanton's strengths. Rollins saw it a month ago when Blanton beat the Phillies with seven innings of one-run ball in Oakland.
"He took three of my bats as souvenirs,'' Rollins said, meaning Blanton broke three of his bats. "Hopefully he can do that against [the Mets].
"He hides the ball well, moves it around, and changes speeds. He's fresh blood.''
Blanton, a burly 6-foot-3, throws a traditional four-pitch mix - fastball, curveball, slider, change-up. He doesn't look as if he'd be intimidated by much. He's already had a taste of Shea Stadium and the Mets in interleague play. He hasn't allowed a run in 15 career innings against the Mets and pitched eight shutout innings in a 1-0 loss to them last season at Shea.
"I expect him to throw strikes,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's pitched a couple of times against the Mets, so they're not new to him. He's capable of a real good game. I think he'll do pretty good.''
Blanton was just 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA in 20 starts with Oakland this season. However, he won 12, 16 and 14 games, respectively, the previous three seasons. He was third in the American League in innings pitched (7522/3) from 2005 to this year's all-star break.
"He eats innings and he's durable,'' Manuel said. "Our people think he can help us.''
"Hopefully we can score some runs for him,'' Rollins said, touching on a sore spot in Phillieland.
The Phils scored 20 runs in a win over St. Louis on June 13. That win put them ahead of the Mets, then tied for third, by 71/2 games. However, since then the Phils are 12-18, and failing offense is a big reason.
They have averaged under four runs in those 30 games. They have scored two or fewer runs 11 times in that span, including Sunday in Florida, when an exasperated Manuel blasted the team's hitters and said, "Our situational hitting is absolutely terrible.''
Since June 13, the Mets are 21-12. The team has been more relaxed since the uncertainty surrounding manager Willie Randolph was eliminated with his June 17 firing. Under new manager Jerry Manuel, the Mets have won 11 of their last 13, a run that began with two victories in Philadelphia. The Mets have won seven of 10 against the Phils this season.
And now the division race is all even, with the Marlins in the thick of it, too.
"We can't worry about who is ahead of us or behind us,'' said Phils lefty Jamie Moyer, who will pitch Thursday afternoon. "We have to take care of our own business. That's the approach we had last year, and we need to keep it.''
Since June 13, the Mets have been 22-12 while the Phillies have limped in at 13-18 to create a first-place tie at 53-46.
The Mets are 19-11 since manager Willie Randolph was replaced by Jerry Manuel on June 17. This season, the Mets have won seven of their 10 meetings with the Phillies.
NL East Standings
June 13
Phillies 40-28 .588 -
Marlins 36-30 .545 3
Braves 32-35 .478 71/2
Mets 31-34 .477 71/2
Last Night
Phillies 53-46 .535. -
Mets 53-46 .535 -
Marlins 52-47 .531 1
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