What are Mets' chances of making the playoffs? What to know ahead of Phillies series

The Mets have reached the gauntlet.

After opening the month of September on a nine-game winning streak and taking down the Reds and Blue Jays in back-to-back series, the Mets enter the final stretch with an 80-66 record and one game ahead of the Braves for the final wild card spot in the National League.

But the true test begins this weekend as they travel to Philadelphia for a three-game series with the Phillies beginning Friday night. The Phillies entered Thursday at 88-58 — the best record in Major League Baseball.

The two sides have squared off in two series so far this season, with the Phillies holding a 4-2 edge. They will meet again next week, Sept. 19-22, for four games at Citi Field. The Mets will then head to Atlanta.

The Mets have put themselves in a position to control their own destiny in the final two weeks. That challenge begins Friday. Here's what to know heading into this important three-game series:

NL playoff odds: What are the Mets' chances?

In addition to leading the Braves for the final playoff spot, the Mets trail the Padres by 1.5 games for the second wild card spot and Diamondbacks by two games for the top spot. The top spot would have home-field advantage for the NL Wild Card round.

The Mets own the tiebreaker against both the Padres and Diamondbacks if they finish with identical records. The season series between the Mets and Braves is tied 5-5 and will be settled during the final week of the season with a three-game set at Truist Park.

Entering Thursday, FanGraphs gave the Mets a 56.6 percent chance of making the playoffs, a 0.6 percent chance to win the NL East and a 2.2 percent chance to win the World Series.

Mets vs. Phillies pitching matchups

Friday, 6:40 p.m., WPIX: Mets' Jose Quintana (8-9, 4.09 ERA) vs. Phillies' Aaron Nola (12-7, 3.41)

Saturday, 4:05 p.m., SNY: Mets' Luis Severino (10-6, 3.74) vs. TBD

Sunday, 1:35 p.m., WPIX: Mets' David Peterson (9-2, 2.98) vs. Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez (10-9, 3.33)

Analysis: The Mets have shuffled their rotation to have David Peterson face the Phillies on normal rest in Sunday's series finale counter to the Phillies' own left-hander in Cristopher Sanchez.

Last time out, Peterson saw his stretch of seven straight starts without a loss come to an end, as the Blue Jays tagged him for four earned runs (five total) on eight hits and two walks in 4⅓ innings.

Jose Quintana and Luis Severino are both coming off quality starts at home. Quintana notched his 100th career win with 6.2 scoreless innings and six strikeouts against the Reds, while Severino settled for a no-decision despite holding the Reds to one run one five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts against the same opponent.

The Phillies boast one of the best rotations in baseball, with a 3.64 starter's ERA that is best in the National League. The Mets avoid NL Cy Young candidate Zack Wheeler. However, Aaron Nola tossed a complete-game shutout in his previous matchup against the Mets on May 14.

Will the Mets' lineup get back on track?

Despite winning four of their last six games in series against the Reds and Blue Jays, the Mets' offense had to scratch and claw to find momentum.

Over the last seven days, they are batting .177 as a team - the second-lowest mark in Major League Baseball. The struggles have been nearly universal, even affecting NL MVP candidate Francisco Lindor .

MVP: How 'valuable' is Francisco Lindor to NY Mets? Here's what his teammates are telling us

Lindor is 3-for-23 in the Mets' last two series, with one home run, four runs scored, four walks and one RBI. Pete Alonso is 3-for-17 with one double, four runs and two RBI. Mark Vientos is 3-for-21 with a team-high eight strikeouts, while Brandon Nimmo is 3-for-23 with three runs and one RBI.

Fortunately for the Mets, they have been able to come through at the opportune time. Lindor's solo blast in the ninth inning Wednesday broke up a potential no-hitter and kicked off a six-run frame.

Two of Vientos' three hits were home runs, including a walk-off blast in a 6-4 extra-inning win in the series opener against the Reds. Alonso knocked a key RBI single in the Mets' 4-0 win over the Reds one day later.

While the Mets have collected the big hits, they will hope for more consistency in the season's final two weeks.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: What are Mets' chances of making the playoffs? What to know ahead of Phillies series