New York @ Florida preview
Sun Life Stadium
Last Meeting ( May 14, 2010 ) NY Mets 2, Florida 7
After watching all but a fraction of Thursday’s game from the bench, Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla made sure he had a greater hand in Friday’s outcome.
Uggla homered twice following his first off day of the season. In the series opener, he came up in the ninth to pinch hit, but the first pitch he saw from Fernando Nieve eluded catcher Rod Barajas and allowed Cody Ross to sprint home on the walk-off wild pitch.
Wes Helms joking told Uggla afterward that the Mets were scared of him. If they weren’t, then they might be now, considering Uggla is six for his last 15 (.400) with four RBIs.
New York hurler John Maine certainly will pitch him carefully on Saturday. Uggla is 8-for-27 (.296) with a home run against Maine.
Just beyond the halfway marker in their current stretch of 20 games in 20 days, the Marlins are hoping a day off has the same effect for Jorge Cantu. Cantu, who had started every game of the season, sat out Friday's contest against left-hander Oliver Perez.
Cantu finished April batting .311 with 23 RBIs and a .921 on-base plus slugging percentage. He amassed those numbers thanks in large part to a season-opening 17-game hitting streak that also saw Cantu knock in at least one run in each of the Marlins’ first 10 games.
May hasn’t yielded similar results. So far, Cantu is 6-for-45 (.133) and is still looking for his first multi-hit game. Don’t be surprised if he gets it on Saturday, since Cantu is a .389 lifetime hitter against Maine with a home run and four RBIs in 18 at-bats.
Maine has won five of seven lifetime decisions against the Marlins, but he’s catching them a day after a four-homer, 11-hit barrage.
Including Uggla’s pair, the four home runs came off the beleaguered Perez, who might not be long for the Mets' rotation.
Three were solo shots in the fourth, marking the first time since Sept. 9, 2007 that the Marlins hit that many in one inning. They hadn’t totaled four in a game since Opening Day 2009 at home against the Washington Nationals.
Maine’s inflated ERA has been a direct result to him being prone to the long ball. He’s served up eight in 34 2/3 innings, tied for fifth most in the National League.