In the National League East, a defining stretch of schedule is in the offing as the first-place Philadelphia Phillies and second-place New York Mets begin a three-game set at Citi Field on Monday.  Going into the series,

It’s doesn’t seem like a case of the Mets’ pitching staff knowing how to attack him, since he has a .991 OPS against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. And especially confusing is that he hit well at Citi Field while a member of the Nationals, putting up a .877 OPS in 56 games.

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets host the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday to begin a three-game series. New York has a 69-61 record overall and a 41-24 record in home games. The Mets have gone 52-20 in games when they record eight or more hits.