Miami @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 22, 2014 ) NY Mets 10, Miami 2

The New York Mets continue a promising homestand Friday night when they welcome the Miami Marlins for the first of three games. The Mets, who went 33-48 at home in 2013 and opened 2-6 at Citi Field this year, have won four of their last five on the homestand, taking three of four from St. Louis to begin the week. New York's staff has a 1.62 ERA over the last five games, with Bartolo Colon allowing one run in seven innings of a 4-1 win over the Cardinals on Thursday.

The Marlins enter with a 1-8 road record after going a National League-worst 26-55 away from home last year. They scored a total of four runs in losing two of three games at Atlanta to start the week, capped by a 3-1 loss on Wednesday. Miami was 11-8 against New York in 2013, compared to 18-39 against the rest of the NL East.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), WPIX (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Henderson Alvarez (1-2, 2.66 ERA) vs. Mets RH Zack Wheeler (1-2, 4.63)

In his short time with Miami, Alvarez has shown the ability to dominate from time to time, as was the case in his no-hitter to end 2013 and again in a two-hit shutout of Seattle on Saturday. Alvarez struck out four and kept the ball in the park for the 18th time in 21 starts as a Marlin. He also did not walk a batter for the first time since a superb start at New York on Sept. 14, when the 24-year-old yielded four hits in seven scoreless innings - part of a campaign in which he went 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA versus the Mets.

Wheeler allowed three runs and six hits in six innings in his last start against Atlanta on Sunday. He walked three batters for the second straight start while striking out exactly six for the third time in four outings this year. The former first-round pick, who is just 2-5 with a 4.68 ERA in 10 career home starts, gave up two runs and only three hits in seven frames in his only prior game against Miami last July.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mets 2B Daniel Murphy has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games.

2. Marlins LF Christian Yelich has a hit in a career-high 17 consecutive contests, scoring 13 runs in the process.

3. New York is 5-0 in games started by C Anthony Recker.

PREDICTION: Mets 5, Marlins 4