The Mets continue their three game set against the D’Backs tonight at Shea. Gametime is slated for 7:10 EST. Mike Pelfrey will face Brandon Webb.

Keys to the Game:

• We Need the Big Pelf : Yes, we need The Big Pelf, not Mike Pelfrey who walks the park and can’t get anyone out. We need Pelf and his swagger, along with that menacing mouthpiece.
• Beat the 11 game Winner : If I had to make a bet that the Mets, losers of five straight, were to beat an 11 game winner tonight, I think I’d have to go with the pitcher. Not tonight, Rob’s crystal ball is telling him that the Mets will do well, and Chris Aguila will win the game with a pinch hit grand slam.
• Hold the Lead : If we get a lead, can we please hold it? The last two games we’ve had leads of three and four, only to squander them. If we get a lead against Mr. Webb, let’s hope Pelfrey comes up big and can hold this young D’Backs lineup at bay.

The Lineup:

• SS Jose Reyes
• 2B Luis Castillo
• 3B David Wright
• CF Carlos Beltran
• 1B Carlos Delgado
• LF Marlon Anderson
• C Brian Schneider
• RF Endy Chavez
• P Mike Pelfrey

As always, head on over to The Hot Foot Bleachers to chat during the game.

I ended my series preview post with the hope the Mets would show up against the NL’s best team record wise, and they did just that. In the end, they beat Micah Owings, lost a tough one to Brandon Webb, and came back against the the bullpen to take the finale. The Mets pitching wasn’t too shabby either, as they battled against one of the best trios in the league. John Maine fought through a high pitch count and gave the Mets 6 solid innings. Mike Pelfrey was OK, giving up 5 runs against a good offense, and thats what you’ve got to typically expect from your #5 starter. Johan Santana again did not have his best stuff, but gave it all he had and gave the Mets 6 good innings. I, for one, cannot wait until this guy hits his stride, its going to be a treat to see.

I did come away with a few points from this weekend’s series: The D’Backs are a good young team that will be around for years. Led by Chris Young and Conor Jackson, they have potentially several guys who could be perennial all stars for a long time.

The Mets are also a good team. The presence of Moises Alou alone can only do wonders for this team, as he brings not only his bat, but his leadership as well. Hopefully we can continue to take series starting tomorrow, against the Dodgers.

The Mets took the rubber game of their three game set against the DBacks today by a score of 5-2. Jorge Sosa (4-1) got the win, tossing a scoreless 8th. Chad Qualls (0-2) allowed his first earned run of the year and took the loss.

Johan Santana went 6 innings, allowing only one run on 6 hits. He struck out 8. The Dbacks starter Danny Haren also went 6, and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, while registering 7 strikeouts. David Wright took Haren deep for his 6th homer of the year, putting the Mets up 2.

With the game tied in the 9th, the Mets rallied and scored three runs, thanks to a Conor Jackson throwing error on a Carlos Delgado DP ball.

Billy Wagner closed out the game for his 7th save.

The Mets continue their West Coast trip against the Dodgers tomorrow.

The Mets (15-12) dominance in the desert continued tonight, as they defeated the D’Backs (20-9) by a score of 7-2. John Maine (3-2) fought, and gave the Mets a solid six innings, allowing only two runs. It was the 5th straight start that Maine allowed two runs or less. Micah Owings (4-1) got destroyed by Mets pitching, allowing 7 runs in 5.1 innings.

The Mets got the scoring going the 1st, when Jose Reyes tripled, and Ryan Church hit a sac fly, putting the Mets up 1-0. David Wright hit a single up the middle, and Carlos Beltran walked. Moises Alou then hit a liner to the 2b Orlando Hudson that was misplayed, allowing Wright to score, putting the Mets up 2-0. Carlos Delgado then singled through the right side, to finish off the scoring at 3-0.

The Mets scored again the 2nd and 4th, on a Church rbi double and solo home run. Wright deposited a two run blast into the left field bleachers for his 5th homer of the season, putting the game out of reach.

Reyes fell a home run short of the cycle, Wright a triple shy.

The Bullpen committee of Joe Smith, Duaner Sanchez, and Pedro Feliciano combined for three innings of shutout ball.

The same two teams are at it again tomorrow. Brandon Webb will face Mike Pelfrey.

The Mets begin a three game set against the D’Backs tonight, in what might be the Mets biggest challenge of the season so far. Arizona is sporting the NL’s best record at 20-8, and have been led by a deep pitching staff, and some young studs on offense, most notably former 1st pick overall Justin Upton and 3B Mark Reynolds.

The three pitchers the Mets will face are Micah Owings, Brandon Webb, and Dan Haren. We all know these three are good, but how good? These three combined have 14-1 record, The best of any tandem in the majors. Webb was only the third pitcher to go 6-0 in April, and while Owings is 4-0 himself, he is also hitting over 400 at the dish and hit a game tieing pinch hit homer this week.

In other words, I still believe the Mets are among the  NL’s Elite, and taking this series would further cement that.

The East Valley Tribune reports that the Oakland A’s are bringing a group of major league players to the Valley this week for physical evaluations. A’s general manager Billy Beane said the gathering will help shape his plans.

The article also reports that the Arizona Diamondbacks have put an offer on the table for Dan Haren, which includes Carlos Gonzalez, Emilio Bonifacio, and Brett Anderson.

Relaying information from Michael Silverman, the Boston Herald is reporting that the Diamondbacks and Athletics have had constructive talks about a deal that would send Dan Haren to Arizona and Conor Jackson, Carlos Gonzalez and two other players to Oakland.

Nick Piecoro in the Arizona Republic notes that the Diamondbacks may look to deal Jose Valverde, who is coming off his best season (2.66 ERA, 47 Saves, 26 BB, 78 K in 64 IP) with a big raise due for him and Tony Pena waiting in the wings to take his place.

The D-Backs could also consider moving Conor Jackson (.284, 15 HR, 60 RBI) in return for starting pitching.