If Steve Trachsel beats the Cardinals on Wednesday night, he will have a .500 winning percentage in his five-plus seasons with Mets. A 54-54 record may be no great accomplishment in the same world in which Steve Carlton won 27 games for a team that won 59, but the Mets teams Trachsel has pitched for have produced a 334-385 record (excluding the first 127 games last season when he was assigned to the disabled list).

So Trachsel's Mets percentage, if it reaches .500, will be significantly higher than the team's composite percentage, .457.

And now consider this: Trachsel lost six of the first seven with the Mets. So his record since May 17, 2001, entering his start in St. Louis, is 52-48.

The date has some bearing in Trachsel's career. He lost to the Padres on that date in 2001, surrendering four home runs in one inning of a 15-3 loss at Shea Stadium. Later that night, he surrendered his big-league status and, at age 30, accepted an assignment to the Minor Leagues.

Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP Steve Trachsel (2-3, 4.91 ERA)
The Mets have split Trachsel's six starts, and he is winless in his last three outings.

STL: LHP Mark Mulder (4-1, 4.27 ERA)
Right-handed hitters are batting .300 in 150 at-bats against Mulder. In 46 at-bats against him, left-handed hitters are batting .196.

Player to watch
Jason Isringhausen, the former Met, has been effective against his former team and against its current personnel. The current Mets have 11 strikeouts and 10 hits, one a double, in 55 at-bats against the Cardinals closer, a .182 average.

On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• SNY

On radio
• WFAN 660 AM, WADO 1280 AM (Español)

Up next
• Thursday: Mets (RHP Jose Lima, 0-2, 9.31 ERA) at Cardinals (RHP Jason Marquis, 4-4, 5.33 ERA), 1:10 p.m. ET
• Friday: Yankees (LHP Randy Johnson, 5-4, 5.13 ERA) at Mets (RHP Jeremi Gonzalez, 0-0, 5.40 ERA), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Yankees (RHP Mike Mussina, 6-1, 2.56 ERA) at Mets (RHP Pedro Martinez, 5-0, 3.19 ERA), 1:10 p.m. ET