Atlanta @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( Apr 24, 2010 ) Atlanta 1, NY Mets 3
The New York Mets look for a sweep of their weekend series against the Atlanta Braves tonight with their best pitcher of the young season on the mound.
The Mets (9-9), winners of three straight and five of six, will hand the ball to Mike Pelfrey to start the series finale. Pelfrey (3-0, 0.86 ERA) has enjoyed a complete transformation from a year ago, utilizing a variety of different new pitches (cutter, splitter) that he developed in the off-season to complement his 94-MPH fastball and hard sinker.
Pelfrey enters tonight’s game with a 19-inning scoreless streak. He fired seven shutout innings in his last start against the Cubs.
If Pelfrey is going to continue his fine pitching in 2010, he will have to turn the tables on a team that he has struggled with in the past. Pelfrey has a 2-5 career mark against Atlanta with a 6.09 ERA.
Braves All-Star catcher Brian McCann practically owns Pelfrey, hitting .444 in his career with a homer and four RBIs against the big righty. Chipper Jones, who hits well against every Met pitcher, has a .333 career mark against Pelfrey, but he is expected to sit out today after leaving Saturday’s game with an injured hip after three innings on his 38th birthday.
The Braves (8-9) have lost four straight, including the first two games in New York against their longtime NL Eastern Division rivals. The Braves will turn to young righty Tommy Hanson (1-1, 2.81 ERA) to try to stop their recent slide.
Hanson had a dominant start against the Mets last year, firing seven scoreless innings and allowing just three hits in a victory. Hanson lasted only 4 2/3 innings in his last start against Philadelphia, allowing two earned runs in a no-decision which saw him throw 103 pitches.
Afterward, Hanson told reporters that he thought he was tipping his pitches, as the Phillies fouled off 23 pitches.
If the Mets win to, it would mark the first time they were over the .500 mark since last June 27, when they owned a 37-36 record en route to a 72-90 mark.
The Braves had the best record last year against the Mets at Citi Field, posting a 7-2 record in the first year of the Mets’ new home. But the Braves have already lost twice there this season.
The Mets will more than likely feature their new-fangled batting order, which features All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes hitting third instead of leadoff, where he batted his entire career before Friday night. Reyes had a double and a triple in Friday’s win and scored a big run in Saturday’s 3-1 victory.
The Mets were also happy to see high-priced, free-agent outfielder Jason Bay look comfortable at the plate. Bay had his first three-hit game for New York, including an RBI double, in Saturday’s win. He is hitting .262, but has yet to hit a homer and has only five RBIs in 18 games.