NewsMets look to ride momentum into finale
New York (40-43) vs. Los Angeles (53-31), 7:10 p.m. ET
By Tim Britton / MLB.com
07/09/09 2:08 AM ET
NEW YORK -- At the end of the night Wednesday, the Mets could look up at the scoreboard and see some unexpected numbers -- namely, a crooked one in the third inning and a winning one in the column under "R."On Thursday, the Mets will gun for a few more rarities of late, looking for a second consecutive win, a series victory and a win over longtime nemesis Randy Wolf.
It had been a few days since the Mets had put up anything besides zeros on the scoreboard, as the team was shut out in consecutive games on Sunday and Tuesday. After breaking a 23-inning scoreless streak on a Luis Castillo RBI infield single in the second on Wednesday, the Mets strung together three in the third.
The inning included a Daniel Murphy one-out double and RBI singles from David Wright and Jeremy Reed. It was the team's first multi-run inning since Friday in Philadelphia.
"I think we did [exhale]," catcher Brian Schneider said of finally getting a run on the board. "Not just for us, but for the pitchers, giving them a cushion out there."
It was a night of busting slumps for the Mets: They ended a four-game losing streak, they snapped that scoreless stretch and Wright busted out of an 0-for-17 skid with his RBI single through the left side of the infield in the third. Wright, who was 1-for-23 without an RBI in July entering the game, may have been the brightest spot all night.
"That was a good thing for us to see him get the base hit, scoring a run," manager Jerry Manuel said. "Hopefully he's getting ready to get into one of those hot streaks for us."
The Mets could use a hot streak from Wright with three of their offensive stars nursing injuries. Wright has proved himself capable of extended runs of production already this season, having hit .500 over 13 games in mid-May and .558 for an 11-game stretch in mid-June.
Mid-July is right around the corner.
Wright just hopes the Mets' overall crisp performance translates to Thursday night.
"We saw a big difference between the way we've been playing and the way we played tonight," Wright said after the game. "We hope that carries over into [Thursday]."
In order to do that and take just their third series since the start of June, the Mets will have to beat Wolf, who is 11-5 in his career against the Mets. Wolf's team has won eight of the past nine games he's started vs. the Mets, including a 3-2 win by the Dodgers in 11 innings on May 18 this season. Wolf picked up a no-decision.
Castillo is the one member of the Mets' lineup with some success against Wolf, having gone 18-for-48 with a rare home run. Fernando Tatis, on the other hand, is 2-for-28 against the southpaw.
Livan Hernandez will take the ball for the Mets, attempting to bounce back from his worst outing of the season in Philadelphia on Friday.
Pitching matchupNYM: RHP Livan Hernandez (5-4, 4.56 ERA)
Hernandez lost his third consecutive start and the Mets lost for the fifth time in his past five starts against the Phillies Friday night. He surrendered 10 hits, four walks and, for the second time this season, seven runs. One of the hits was a home run by Jayson Werth, but Citizens Bank Park's dimensions had little else to do with his performance. He faced the Dodgers in L.A. on May 20, allowed one run in seven innings and wasn't involved in the decision in a 2-1 Mets loss. He has a 3-2 record and 3.53 ERA in eight starts against them since the beginning of the 2006 season. Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal has a .333 average with three doubles, a triple and four home runs in 69 career at-bats against Hernandez. And Manny Ramirez has five hits in eight career at-bats against the Mets starter.
LAD: LHP Randy Wolf (3-3, 3.49 ERA)
In his last start, Wolf provided another quality performance, against the Padres and -- no surprise -- came away with a no-decision, his 12th. He has the most in the big leagues, two more than the Yankees' Joba Chamberlain. Wolf allowed one run on four hits in six innings, striking out eight and walking none. He's a Mets killer from his days in Philadelphia, with an 11-5 lifetime record (6-1 at Shea Stadium) against them. He won both his decisions against them last season, one for the Padres, one for the Astros. He defeated the Mets as a member of the Dodgers in 2007 and, before that, had eight victories against them as a member of the Phillies. Mets second baseman Luis Castillo has a .375 average and has hit for the career cycle in 48 at-bats against Wolf. Left-handed hitters are batting .111 in 81 at-bats against him this season. His ERA in nine road starts is 2.91.
Tidbits
The Mets signed Robbie Shields, an infielder the club made its second selection -- 103rd overall -- in the First-Year Player Draft. Shields, 21, is a 6-foot, 220-pound shortstop out of Florida Southern College who is to report to the Mets' Class A Brooklyn affiliate in the New York-Penn League. Shields batted .345 with 65 runs, 19 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 37 RBIs in 57 games (220 at-bats) with the Division II Moccasins year. A native of Dade City, Fla., Shields batted .329 in his three-year career at Florida Southern, starting all 167 games. He was named second-team All-Sunshine State Conference as a sophomore. ... The Mets also signed Jeffrey Greene (16th round), Josh Dunn (25th) and Camden Maron (34th). Greene, an outfielder, from West Boca Raton Community High School in Florida; Dunn, an infielder from Sickles High School in Florida; and Maron, a catcher from Hicksville High School in New York, are to report to the Gulf Coast League Mets. The Mets have signed 30 of the 49 players they drafted.
Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio• Gameday
• Official game notes On television
• SNY On radio
• WFAN 660, WADO 1280 (Español) Up next
• Friday: Mets (Fernando Nieve, 3-2, 2.73) vs. Reds (Bronson Arroyo, 8-8, 5.85), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Mets (Johan Santana, 9-7, 3.29) vs. Reds (Johnny Cueto, 8-5, 3.45), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Mets (Mike Pelfrey, 6-4, 4.52) vs. Reds (Aaron Harang, 5-8, 3.89), 1:10 p.m. ET
Tim Britton is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
