The Phillies have struggled against the Mets for the past few seasons and especially this year. New York was seen as a team that would not be a problem for the young Phillies in their quest for an NL East crown. Instead, they’ve been a major thorn in the team’s side.

But the Phils pulled out two wins in their final three-game series last night, capping things off with a 4-0 shutout over their division rivals. Rhys Hoskins kicked things off with a solo home run in the bottom of the first and Odubel Herrera had a two-run blast in the bottom of the fourth.

Zach Eflin returned to his early season form, pitching five innings and striking out nine batters while giving up three hits.

And now, the first big series of the stretch run.

It’s a four-game meeting with the Atlanta Braves. Their magic number to clinch the division is six games. The teams will meet seven times until the end of the season. Atlanta could win three of these meetings this weekend and clinch the division.

Vince Velasquez takes the mound tonight against Kevin Gausman for the 7:35 PM start on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The Roundup:

WE HAVE A MARKELLE FULTZ JUMPER!

Brett Brown also discussed plenty of things at his annual media luncheon on Tuesday, before Elton Brand was named general manager.

Speaking of Brand, the official announcement is today at 11 AM.

The Eagles officially brought back Jordan Matthews, wearing #80 and having sex in Buffalo, to the roster and placed Mike Wallace on injured reserve. Doug Pederson said Matthews “looked good” in his workout and will try to work him in on Sunday against the Colts.

But with Wallace on IR, that doesn’t mean he won’t be back this year.

Carson Wentz is also returning to the Eagles on Sunday and he’s finally ready to get things started.

The Birds are still banged up quite a bit:

Outside of the offense, the Birds need to be better in the secondary after getting torched by Ryan Fitzpatrick last week.

Finally, the team added linebacker Asantay Brown back to their practice squad after Joe Walker was claimed by the Arizona Cardinals.

Oskar Lindblom and Carter Hart had a great showing at Madison Square Garden last night as the Flyers defeated the Rangers 6-4. Lindblom had two goals and an assist, while Hart stopped 25 shots in two periods of play. Corban Knight (1 G, 2 As) and Scott Laughton (3 As) had three points, each in the first period. Dale Weise, Mikhail Vorobyev, and German Rubtsov also recorded goals. Brian Elliott started the game and stopped 11 of 13 shots.

Vorobyev and Carson Twarynski have impressed so far in camp, writes Sam Carchidi:

Vorobyev, who spent two year’s in Russia’s KHL before joining the Phantoms, “had a good year last year,” Hextall said. “Maybe a little bit of inconsistency, but for the most part, he had a good year. Coming from the big rink to the small rink and transitioning [to a longer schedule] …is  a lot. He did a good job. He worked hard this summer. He was in Voorhees a lot and he worked his tail off  — and it’s showing.

“Quite frankly, he’s hungry to make this team,” added Hextall, who plans to make several roster cuts Thursday.

Twarynski, 20, a rugged 6-2, 198-pound winger who netted 45 goals in the Western Hockey League last season before a five-game stint with the Phantoms, has given the Flyers scoring and has been a physical presence down low – a combination that figures to make him an NHL mainstay one of these days. He collected an assist in Wednesday’s game and was constantly in the Rangers’ faces.

In Tuesday’s 5-1 win over the Islanders, Twaynski had a goal and a team-high four hits.

“Carsen continues to make himself known out there,” coach Dave Hakstol said after the victory over the host Isles. “He’s doing a small number of things very well. He’s keeping his game simple; he’s playing hard, skating [hard]; he’s got physicality to his game and he’s been around the net a lot. He comes up with a lot of 50/50 pucks, and because of that, he’s been on the positive side of a lot of shifts.”

The team plans to make several cuts today before their next preseason game on Friday against… the Islanders, in the Lehigh Valley.

The Flyers are also possibly hinting at a new “addition” to their team. Maybe a mascot?

Mascot or not, there’s a brand new episode of Snow the Goalie available.

In other sports news, Jimmy Butler wants out of Minnesota and prefers the Clippers. Could the Sixers have any chance in getting him?

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/1042588342632763393

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/1042622109296537600

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/1042623945755770880

We also got this:

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/1042564328346595328

Canadiens forward Max Domi, pulling a page out of father Tie’s book, delivered a cheap sucker punch to Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad:

He’ll probably be suspended.

Bills running back LeSean McCoy is facing new allegations of wrongdoing, this time for physically abusing his son.

In the news, the manhunt for a person who killed his parents and shot at his ex-wife has ended.

Space Jam 2 is real:

Dog the Bounty Hunter is joining the hunt for a PA fugitive who could be in Ohio.