The Philadelphia Phillies suffered their seventh straight loss shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday. But it took the New York Mets less than two hours to make the Phillies' struggles a secondary story heading into Monday's opener of a four-game series between the two reeling division rivals.

The Phillies and Mets will both be in dire need of a win when Philadelphia right-hander Zach Eflin (6-7, 2.83 ERA) takes the mound against New York left-hander Steven Matz (5-5, 4.28).

The Phillies' longest losing streak of the year continued Sunday afternoon, when the visiting Miami Marlins completed a three-game sweep with a 6-4 victory. The Mets' weekend in Chicago went from promising to soap operatic with a 5-3 loss to the Cubs that cost New York a chance at winning the four-game series.