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Mets get Maine back for doubleheader

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By Marty Noble / MLB.com

09/12/09 11:15 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA -- The pressure is off John Maine, Mike Pelfrey said Saturday.

"He gets to follow me," Pelfrey said. "After the way I pitched today, he can do anything, and it'll be an improvement. That's my present to him."

Maine, the Mets' starter in the first game of their doubleheader against the Phillies on Sunday, reacted with a quizzical expression to his buddy's words. They hardly constituted a challenge. But then, a challenge exists within Maine's assignment no matter who has preceded him and how well or poorly Pelfrey performed in the Mets' 10-9 victory Saturday. And Pelfrey wasn't very effective.

Maine vs. Kyle Kendrick and Mets vs. Phillies is about Maine and the Phillies' push to the pennant, and little else. Maine's surgically-repaired shoulder and whatever elements inside it cost him most of the 2009 season allows him to return Sunday and pitch in a big league game for the first time in 98 days. He can't wait.

And neither can the Mets. They have holes to fill before next season, but voids in the rotation are the most difficult to address. A pain-free, 60-pitch performance by Maine would delight the Mets. The outcome? Well, they're not going to win the pennant anyway.

"I like the way he' throwing -- over the top again," pitching coach Dan Warthen said Saturday. "He's had two good bullpens. We're excited for him, and he's excited. We're hoping he comes out of it more excited. It's a big day for him."

Pitching matchup

First Game

NYM: RHP John Maine (5-4, 4.52 ERA)
Ninety-eight days and untold uncertainty and pain will have passed between starts when Maine takes the mound Sunday afternoon. In a month of comebacks for the Mets -- David Wright and Carlos Beltran have preceded him -- Maine's return this year was as uncertain as any. He opposes a team he didn't face in the 11 starts he made before his shoulder said "no mas," a team he has beaten five times, against no losses, in nine career starts. Maine's ERA in 56 2/3 innings against the Phillies is 2.54, his best against any opponent he has faced more than once. Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard have combined for nine hits in 28 at-bats against him, two of them home runs by Howard. Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz have a combined .339 average in 59 at-bats against Maine. He has allowed only two home runs in 19 2/3 innings at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies hit five others against him in 37 innings at Shea Stadium.

PHI: RHP Kyle Kendrick (0-1, 5.06 ERA)
Kendrick makes his first start since last season. He spent most of his 2099 season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he went 9-7 with a 3.34 ERA in 24 starts. He has an 0-1 record and 5.06 ERA in four relief appearances with the Phillies this year. Kendrick somehow produced a 2.70 ERA and 1-1 record in four career starts against the Mets; he allowed 39 baserunners in merely 20 innings. Jeff Francoeur, Brian Schneider and Cory Sullivan have 13 hits and 32 combined at-bats against Kendrick. Left-handed hitters have batted .328 against him in his career.

Second Game

NYM: RHP Tim Redding (2-5, 5.78 ERA)
After three solid starts, Redding labored through five innings against the Marlins on Tuesday, allowing two-run home runs by Hanley Ramirez and Cameron Maybin. He also had issues with his control, walking four and throwing only 53 of 102 pitches for strikes. After the game, Redding said it was "probably the worst day I've ever had with command of the fastball." He has mastered the Phillies throughout his career and particularly in the past two seasons. He has a 5-3 record and 3.13 ERA in 13 career starts against them. Factors in his appeal to the Mets were the 3-1 record and 3.41 ERA he produced in five starts against the Phillies in 2008. Redding has a 2.25 ERA and no decisions in two starts against them this season. He has a 1-1 record and 2.00 ERA in three career starts at Citizens Bank Park. Chase Utley is 10-for-22 against Redding, but Jimmy Rollins (6-for-38) and Ryan Howard (3-for-26) have struggled against him.

PHI: RHP Pedro Martinez (4-0, 3.64 ERA)
Martinez has made progress in each of his two most recent starts. He has won both and produced a 2.63 ERA. In 13 2/3 innings, he has allowed 12 hits, a walk and four runs and struck out 12. Opponents have batted .231 against him. His 119 pitches Tuesday against the Nationals were his most since 2005. He hopes to keep pitching deep in games. If he does, he may work himself into the Phillies' postseason rotation. He allowed four runs in six innings against the Mets at Citi Field Aug. 23. Angel Pagan hit two home runs against Martinez. The Phillies have won each of his six starts, though he had little bearing on two of the games, pitching merely five innings combined. Left-handed hitters have hit five home runs in 65 at-bats against Martinez. Opponents are batting .186 against him at Citizen Bank Park, where he has produced a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings.

Tidbits
Mets batters neither struck out nor walked Saturday, a franchise first since June 15, 1993, when they played the Braves. ... The two home runs by David Wright and one by Carlos Beltran marked the fifth time this season the Mets have hit three home runs in one game. They haven't hit more. ... Fernando Tatis, batting second for the second time this season, had his first four-hit game since 1999.

This date in Mets history -- Sept. 13: After a two-run rally in the 12th inning produced a 4-2 victory in Philadelphia on this date in 1973, the Mets were 13 victories into a 14-5 run that moved them from last place, 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Cardinals on Aug. 26, to fourth place, 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Pirates. ... Three years later on Sept. 13, Tom Seaver struck out 12 in a five-hitter against the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium. The 5-0 victory was one of 20 wins the Mets produced that September. They won 86 games that season, the second most in club history at the time. The successful final month deceived the club's decision-makers. They made few changes in the offseason -- the first offseason with free agency -- and the 1977 season initiated a slump that lasted seven years.

On this date in 1985, Keith Hernandez delivered a run with a single off Ken Dayley to score Mookie Wilson from second base in the ninth inning and push the Mets to a 7-6 afternoon victory against the Cardinals at Shea Stadium. The victory, their eighth in 10 games, put the Mets one game ahead of the second-place Cardinals with 20 games remaining for both teams. That night, the Yankees defeated the first-place Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium to move within 1 1/2 games of the division lead and give New York City the sense that a Subway Series was possible -- 15 years before one happened. ... The best Mets team that didn't play in the World Series moved within two games of the first-place Braves on this date in 1999, beating the Dodgers, 10-3, in Los Angeles. Shawon Dunston drove in three runs.

Tickets
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On the Internet
 MLB.TV
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•  Official game notes

On television
• SNY

On radio
• WFAN 660, WADO 1280 (Español)

Up next
• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Mets (Pat Misch, 1-2, 3.86) at Braves (TBD), 7:00 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Mets (Bobby Parnell, 3-8, 5.49) at Braves (Derek Lowe, 14-9, 4.47), 7:00 p.m. ET

Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.