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While a fellow up-and-coming starter has taken the Big Apple by storm, rookie Zack Wheeler is starting to garner some well deserved acclaim, too. Seeking a third straight win, Wheeler takes the mound opposite Cliff Lee as the New York Mets open a four-game set against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.

After posting a 5.06 ERA in his first three starts, the 23-year-old Wheeler (6-2, 3.49 ERA) has compiled a 5-1 record and a 3.02 ERA in nine outings since the start of July. "When I first came up, I think I was trying to do a little too much, trying to make guys chase rather than just relying on a good, quality pitch," Wheeler told MLB's official website. "It's starting to work here and I'm trying to continue that."

Still pitching in the shadow of Mets All-Star starter Matt Harvey, Wheeler has gone at least six innings in a season-best three straight starts and has four walks in that span -- he averaged 3.1 in his first nine outings. After striking out a career-high 12 in a 4-1 win at San Diego on Aug. 15, Wheeler allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings to beat Atlanta 5-3 on Tuesday.

"That's what I like about the days he pitches. He competes," manager Terry Collins said. "... I'm very impressed with the way he went about things. The more he pitches, the better he's going to get." The right-hander also earned high praise from Braves outfielder Jason Heyward. 

New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies August 26, 2013

A little more than one month after they both started the All-Star game, Max Scherzer and Matt Harvey will square off at Citi Field once again. Scherzer will look to pick up his 19th victory on Saturday as the Detroit Tigers visit Harvey and the New York Mets. 

"I figure this place will be hopping pretty good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "It should be fun." It's the first time in history that two All-Star game starters have faced off in the same regular season. "You can't beat that matchup," Detroit's Torii Hunter said. "If you blink you're going to miss something." Scherzer (18-1, 2.82 ERA) will look to become the fastest in the major leagues to 19 victories since teammate Justin Verlander picked up his 19th on Aug. 22, 2011, en route to a 24-win season. 

Scherzer has pushed his way toward the 20-victory mark with five wins and a 1.69 ERA over his six starts since pitching a scoreless first inning against the NL All-Stars. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer each time, giving up just 21 hits in 42 2/3 innings. He gave up two runs in eight innings of a 6-3 victory over Kansas City on Sunday, pushing his streak without allowing a homer to 34 2/3 innings. Scherzer has taken advantage of some weak opposition in the second half, making three of his last six starts against the White Sox. 

Detroit Tigers vs New York Mets August 25, 2013

The right-hander's other three starts came against Philadelphia and Kansas City, among the major league's worst in runs scored, and Cleveland, which is 26th in runs this month. Scherzer has twice as many victories as Harvey (9-4, 2.25) despite the 24-year-old's lower ERA. Scherzer has the most victories in a season with just one loss since Roger Clemensstarted 20-1 in 2001. Much like Clemens, who had the fourth-highest run support average in baseball that year, Scherzer has benefited from a league-best 7.47 mark. "The win-loss record is a little fluky," Scherzer said. "Every time I go out, the guys are putting up runs for me and are playing great defense so I can't take credit for being 18-1."