By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
PHILADELPHIA — With a one-game lead for the first spot in the National League Wild Card, the New York Mets (86-74) will send 19-year veteran RHP Bartolo Colon to the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies (70-90) in the second of a three-game regular season finale set Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
Due to rookie RHP Jake Thompson being shut down for the rest of the season, RHP Phil Klein will get the spot start Saturday against the Mets in what is believed to be a "bullpen game." The game will be Colon's career-tying 34th appearance of the season, matching his totals from 2001 with the Cleveland Indians and 2003 and 2004 with the Chicago White Sox.
The game was originally scheduled to take place at 7:05 p.m., however it was moved up to a national broadcast with the Mets on the brink of clinching back-to-back postseason berths for the second time in franchise history, the other being 1999 and 2000 (Wild Card).
The Phillies have lost seven of their last eight games, outscored 73-34 by opponents. Four of these defeats have been against the Mets.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| New York Mets (86-74) | Philadelphia Phillies (70-90) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Bartolo Colon | RHP | Phil Klein | ||
| (14-8, 3.42 ERA) | (0-1, 8.22 ERA) | ||||
Bartolo Colon — Age: 43;
- Last Start: Sept. 26, 2016, at MIA: L, 2.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, HR
Colon struggled in his most recent start Monday against the Miami Marlins in a series filled with shock after the tragic death of star pitcher Jose Fernandez. He is pitching through a sprained right foot tendon, an injury sustained a couple of weeks ago while running the bases.
Phil Klein — Age: 27;
- Last Start: August 3, 2016, vs. SFG: ND, 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, BB, 3 SO
Klein's only career appearance against the Mets came on Sunday, where he alowed three runs on two hits and two walks while retiring just one of six batters faced. Acquired off waivers from the Texas Rangers on June 19, Klein will be making his second start of the season and the 40th appearance overall for his career.
Starting Lineups:
| New York Mets (86-74) | Philadelphia Phillies (70-90) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 3B | Jose Reyes | S | 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 2 | SS | Asdrubal Cabrera | S | 2 | SS | Andres Blanco | S |
| 3 | LF | Yoenis Cespedes | R | 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 4 | CF | Curtis Granderson | L | 4 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 5 | RF | Jay Bruce | L | 5 | 1B | Ryan Howard | L |
| 6 | 2B | T.J. Rivera | R | 6 | C | Cameron Rupp | R |
| 7 | 1B | James Loney | L | 7 | LF | Jimmy Paredes | S |
| 8 | C | Travis d'Arnaud | R | 8 | RF | Aaron Altherr | R |
| 9 | P | Bartolo Colon | R | 9 | P | Phil Klein | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
- TV: FOX
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Standings:
| Updated: Oct. 1, 2016 | |||||
| NL EAST | W | L | GB | RS | RA |
| Nationals | 93 | 67 | -- | 751 | 604 |
| Mets | 86 | 74 | 7.0 | 664 | 609 |
| Marlins | 79 | 80 | 13.5 | 647 | 670 |
| Phillies | 70 | 90 | 23.0 | 602 | 789 |
| Braves | 66 | 93 | 26.5 | 643 | 776 |
| NL WILD CARD | W | L | GB | RS | RA |
| Mets | 86 | 74 | +1.0 | 664 | 609 |
| Giants | 85 | 75 | -- | 705 | 630 |
| Cardinals | 84 | 76 | 1.0 | 765 | 705 |
What's Next:
- Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016: vs. New York Mets, 3:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Noah Syndergaard (14-9, 2.60 ERA) vs. RHP Jerad Eickhoff (11-14, 3.72 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
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