Philadelphia @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( May 25, 2010 ) Philadelphia 0, NY Mets 8
As Jason Bay has started to turn it on, so have the New York Mets.
The Mets will be looking for their fourth straight win today when they take on the division rival Philadelphia Phillies.
Bay was signed to a four-year, $66 million contract during the offseason with the hope that he could provide New York with another slugger to pair with David Wright. But as Bay struggled to a .239 batting average with just one homer through the first 30 games, many had to wonder if signing him was the right move.
Always a streaky hitter, Bay slowly began to find his stroke and has batted .431 with nine RBIs in the last 16 games. The All-Star even began to flash some of his dormant power over the weekend, belting a pair of homers Sunday to raise his season total to three.
Bay got the Mets on the board early in the series opener on Tuesday with an RBI groundout in the first inning and added an RBI single in the fifth as New York trounced the Phillies 8-0.
R.A. Dickey - one of the new parts of a rotation that has seen three of its top starters either injured or banished to the bullpen - earned himself another turn with six scoreless innings and Cuban left-hander Raul Valdes tossed the final three frames to earn his first save.
Taking his second turn in the Mets’ patchwork rotation today will be Japanese right-hander Hisanori Takahashi. The 35-year-old Tokyo native stymied the New York Yankees last Friday, allowing five hits and striking out five in six scoreless frames. He did not factor in the decision as the Mets fell to their cross-town rivals 2-1.
Takahashi was signed as a free agent in the offseason as bullpen insurance but was forced into the rotation when John Maine went on the disabled list and Oliver Perez was banished to the bullpen.
While his presence in the rotation should help stabilize things until the Mets can find another starter, Takahashi’s absence will be felt in the bullpen, where he posted a 3.12 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 26 innings.
The Phillies will counter with burly right-hander Joe Blanton. The 29-year-old is coming off his best start of the season, when he allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.
Despite an ERA over five, Blanton has gone at least six innings in each of his four starts this season, taking some pressure off a bullpen that is still without its two biggest weapons - Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge.
Blanton has dominated New York since moving to the National League, going 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in four starts.