New York @ Atlanta preview
Turner Field
Last Meeting ( Apr 25, 2010 ) Atlanta 0, NY Mets 1
The road has not been kind to the New York Mets, and now they're headed to one of their least favorite stops.
The Mets limp into Atlanta for a two-game series at Turner Field having lost 11 of 15 this month to slip into the cellar in the NL East, in large part because of their road woes.
New York's 4-12 mark away from home is the worst in the National League. The Mets are 1-8 on the road in May, which has aided their fall from first place at the start of the month to last after being swept in a four-game series against the Florida Marlins over the weekend.
To make matters worse, the next stop is in Atlanta, where the Mets are 4-14 since the start of the 2008 season. And the Braves are on a tear, having won five of six.
Atlanta's offense, which disappeared during a nine-game losing streak at the end of April, has come on strong in May. The Braves have scored seven or more runs in seven of 14 games this month.
The resurgence of first baseman Troy Glaus has played a big role, as the slugger has raised his average from .194 to .283 since the start of the month. He has eight multi-hit games already this month and is hitting .400 in May to go along with three homers and 16 RBIs.
Glaus' red-hot streak has somewhat overshadowed teammate Martin Prado, who after hitting a slump early in the month has recorded multiple hits in five of his last seven games - including his first career two-homer game Sunday.
They'll try to keep it going against a pitching staff that has struggled to keep the Mets in games lately. New York has allowed six or more runs in six of its last eight games, going 1-7 in that span.
It doesn't help that the Mets ran through their bullpen Sunday after starter Jonathon Niese left in the third inning with a hamstring injury.
If the Mets are going to get back to being the team they were in April, they'll need right-hander Mike Pelfrey to return to being the dominant pitcher he was the first month of the season.
After winning his first four starts and finishing April with an ERA of 0.69 - a streak that ended with a 1-0 win over Atlanta in which he allowed five hits and five walks over five innings - Pelfrey hasn't been as dominant in his three starts this month. He is winless in May and has made it to the sixth inning only once.
Pelfrey gave up four runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings Wednesday against the Washington Nationals, taking a no-decision in a 6-4 loss.
Like the Mets, Pelfrey has been far better at home than on the road this year. He's 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA on the road and 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA at home. And he has had a tough time in four career starts at Turner Field, where he is 1-2 with an 8.41 ERA.
The Braves counter with veteran right-hander Derek Lowe, who has been wildly inconsistent in 2010, sprinkling moments of brilliance amidst more than his share of mediocre outings. He has allowed five or more runs in half his eight starts and hasn't pitched past the sixth all year, but he has won two of his last three starts, including a solid outing Wednesday at Milwaukee.
In that one, Lowe went six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and helping the Braves to a 9-2 victory.