The Mets look for the split today versus the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark starting at 1:10 EST. Mike Pelfrey will toe the rubber opposite Edinson Volquez for the Reds. The game can be seen on the CW11 (sorry Dan) and can be heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• More Timely Hitting: Over the Mets 10 game win streak, they came up with all the big hits, most of them with two outs. Last night, the Mets had runners in scoring position in the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings with LESS than two outs, and still could not get anybody in. You can’t win by playing that way. Sparkplug Argenis Reyes is in the lineup again today batting 2nd, and could give us a jolt at the top of the lineup with the other Reyes struggling.
• More of the Same from Pelf: Pelfrey has been outstanding of late. Over his last eight starts he is 6-0 with an ERA under 2.5. That’s ace like. Pelfrey is facing the tough task of facing the other team’s ace today, in Volquez. He will once again need to bring his A game for the Mets to have a shot to win today

For a chat, head to The Hot Foot Bleachers.

For a lineup, head to Adam Rubin’s blog for the New York Daily News.

The Mets kick off the second half against the Reds with a four game set at Great American Ballpark. The game is slated to start at 7:10 EST and can be seen on SNY. The game will feature an ace and an up and coming fireballer. Johan Santana will toe the rubber opposite Johnny Cueto.

Key to the Game:

• Keep the Streak Alive: The Mets finished the 1st half on a nine game winning streak, and most wins were in dominant fashion. The Mets have to keep it going against a second tier Reds ballclub. Although they have some good hitters, they can be pitched to i.e Adam Dunn. The Reds squad also has poor pitching, with the exception of right hander Edinson Volquez. Cueto, Josh Fogg, and Bronson Arroyo all have an ERA above 4.5 and can be hit hard. Santana will have to take advantage of this young Reds lineup that is for the most part a bunch of free swingers.

For a lineup, head to Matthew Cerrone’s Metsblog.

For a chat, head to The Hot Foot Bleachers.

Jay Bruce, many of you may not have known this name, but after this weekend it’s been hard not to hear it. Bruce was named baseball’s number one prospect this spring by Baseball America, after destroying minor league pitching last year. It didn’t stop this year, as he was hitting .364 with 10 homers in Triple A before getting the call. In his first six games in the majors, Bruce has hit .591 and is slugging a ridiculous 1000. Not to mention his first career major league home run for a walkoff, not bad for your first. What’s been more impressive is that he was walked six times already, and has only struck out once. This shows that he has the plate discipline to succeed as a major league star.

I picked up on an interesting comment by ESPN’s Peter Gammons on last night’s Mets-Dodgers telecast. Gammons said that he saw Bruce play in the Futures Game last year, and noticed that he would gather around the cage to see the other guys take some cuts and see what he could improve on. Gammons also said that their were some good ones who played in this game, but the ball just came off Bruce’s bat differently.

Along with an already potent Joey Votto, and pitching studs Edinson Volquez, Jonny Cueto, and Homer Bailey, the Reds could be a team to watch next year, ala the Rays this year.

In other words, if Fernando Martinez can be half of what this guy could be, were in for a treat.

After thrashing the Reds (15-22) in the first game of the doubleheader, the Mets (18-16) dropped the nightcap by a score of 7-1. Mike Pelfrey (2-3) pitched well enough to win, allowing two runs in 6 innings of work. Bronson Arroyo (2-4) was that much better, shutting down the Mets for 8 innings, and allowing only the one run.

There is not much to say, the Mets last baserunner came courtesy of a Ramon Castro walk in the 4th inning. The Mets single run was driven in by a David Wright single in the 3rd.

The bullpen allowed five runs (two earned) in three innings. The two earned runs were charged to Duaner Sanchez, who was shaky for the second time this week. Billy Wagner allowed the other three in the 9th, but were all unearned due to two errors committed by Wright and Carlos Delgado.

The Mets try to take the rubber game tomorrow. Johnny Cueto will face off against Oliver Perez.

Fresh off their game one win, the Mets (18-15) face off against the Reds (14-22) in the nightcap tonight. Mike Pelfrey will face off against Bronson Arroyo. Pelfrey was shaky in his last outing, going five innings and allowing five runs against the D’Backs

Lineup:

• SS Jose Reyes
• RF Endy Chavez
• 3B David Wright
• CF Carlos Beltran
• 1B Carlos Delgado
• 2B Damion Easley
• LF Marlon Anderson
• C Ramon Castro
• P Mike Pelfrey

As always, head on over to The Hot Foot Bleachers to discuss this afternoon’s win and talk Mets baseball.