The Mets face the Padres in game two of their three game set tonight, starting at 7:10 EST. Pedro Martinez will face off against Cha-Seung Baek. The game can be seen on SNY and can be heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• Big Game Pedro: Martinez has been less than spectacular this year, sporting an ERA of 6.16. In his last start, Martinez allowed three home runs, all solo shots. If Martinez wants to win, he will need to keep the ball in the park and cannot let the weak hitters in the lineup get on base in front of Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff.
• Closer Kunz: Appearing on the FAN, Jerry Manuel stated that rookie RP Eddie Kunz will be given the shot to close tonight, if the opportunity presents itself. As we saw on Sunday, Kunz can get the groundball in his sleep, but also has some control issues. Kunz cannot pull a Heilman, and walk the leadoff batter.

For a lineup, head to John Delcos’s blog for the Journal News.

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

The Mets take on the Padres for a three game series at home with Mike Pelfrey taking on Chris Young.  The game has a 7:10 PM first pitch and can be seen on SNY.

Keys to the game:

• Help J-Rey.  Jose Reyes has been mashing lately especially in the last series vs. Houston.  However, the rest of the team failed to produce and they only scored seven runs in the three game series despite the great production from Reyes.  The Mets lineup has to figure out how to manufacture runs against a poor Padres team. 
• Prove We Don’t Need Billy.  Prior to tonight’s game, Billy Wagner was placed on the DL with a hurt forearm.  Ruddy Lugo was called up from AAA, and before the game manager Jerry Manuel suggested a number of pitchers can be used at the end of the game, but most likely Aaron Heilman.  Wagner has blown seven saves this year, and Manuel really just has to treat the 9th like any other inning - play the match ups and chose what pitcher is right for the moment. 

For a full lineup, head over to John Delcos’s blog at the Journal News, where you’ll see that Dan Murphy is playing LF and batting 2nd. 

For in-game banter, complaining and conversation head over to chat at the Hot Foot Bleachers. 

Win…please…   

The Mets look to salvage the final game of their three game set today against the Astros in Houston. Oliver Perez will face off against Randy Wolf. Gametime is slated for 2:05 and can be seen on the CW11.

Key to the Game:

• Innings from Oliver: As many have seen over the last week, this Mets bullpen is overworked, tired, and has been ineffective. We need a huge outing from Ollie, and need to avoid using Aaron Heilman.

Keys to the Game (added by Andrew Beaton):

• Score A Billion.  To win a game lately, the Mets might need to score a billion runs, or so it seems.  The Mets bullpen has been blowing leads like Ken Rosenthal comes across rumors (often).  The Mets offense should come out fighting to avenge the embarrassing loss last night. 
• Hold the lead. In case the Mets do have the lead late and do not score a billion runs, the bullpen has to make a statement and keep the lead late in the game tonight.  Rookie Eddie Kunz might be thrown into the fire in his first game with Billy Wagner unavailable with a stiff forearm.

Notes:

• Billy Wagner has been sent back to NY with a stiff left forearm.
• John Maine has been placed on the DL, retroactive to July 27th.
• Eddie Kunz has been called up from Double A Binghamton.

For a lineup, head to John Delcos’s blog for the Journal News.

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

The Mets look to take the middle game of their three game set tonight against the Astros in Miami. It will be a pair of aces on the mound, with Johan Santana taking on Roy Oswalt. Gametime is slated for 7:05 EST and can be seen on SNY.

Keys to the Game:

• Johan, the Stopper: We got Santana for this very reason. We are on a little skid, having lost four of our last six games. We brought Santana here to be the stopper in times like this. He faces a tough task of facing Oswalt, who although has not had an Oswalt like season, is still downright nasty when he is on his game.

• Welcome to the Bigs, Murph: As Andrew Beaton mentioned earler, 3b/OF prospect Dan Murphy was called up after spending a day in AAA. Tonight, Murphy makes his first major league start in LF and will be hitting 6th. The downside, he has to face Oswalt. I guess that’s welcome to the bigs, kid.

For a lineup, head to John Delcos’s blog for the Journal News.

For a chat, head to The Hot Foot Bleachers.

The Mets look to right the ship tonight against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Pedro Martinez makes his return, and will face RHP Brandon Backe. Gametime is slated for 8:05 EST and can be seen on SNY.

Keys to the Game:

• We Need A Healthy Pedro: Pedro is key to the Mets success in the final two months of the year. In order to be able to keep up with the Marlins and Phillies, Martinez will need to give us quality starts down the stretch
• It’s Tatis Time: LF Fernando Tatis batted .397 in July, highest of any major leaguer in the game. With the Mets unable to find a left fielder at the non waiver trade deadline, it looks like the Mets have enough trust in Tatis to get the job done. I believe that he will continue to give the team the lift it needs into the postseason.

For a lineup, head to John Delcos’s blog for the Journal News.

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

The Mets look to take the rubber game of their three game set tonight against the Marlins in Miami. Mike Pelfrey will toe the rubber for the Mets opposite Josh Johnson for the Marlins. Gametime is slated for 7:05 EST and can be seen on SNY.

Keys to the Game:

• Get Beltran Going: Last night, Carlos Beltran finally broke through with a clutch 2 out rbi single to put the Mets on top 2-1. We are going to need Beltran’s bat down the stretch if we want to make a serious push for the division title.
• Keep Scoring for Pelf: IN Pelfrey’s last 11 starts, the Mets are 10-1. Although Pelfrey has been pitching fantastic, the Mets have also been scoring a lot of runs for him. Since June 27th, the team has scored seven runs in every game (6 games). The Mets face a tough Marlin pitcher in Johnson tonight and unless he’s off his game, we will need Pelfrey to throw another gem for us to win.

Notes:

• Argenis Reyes starts at 2B.
• Marlon Anderson gets the start in LF.

For a lineup, head to John Delcos’s blog for the Journal News.

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

The Mets take on the Marlins in game two of their three game set tonight in Miami. Oliver Perez will toe the rubber opposite Scott Olsen. Gametime is slated for 7:05 and it can be seen on SNY, heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• Take Advantage of Shotty Marlins D: The Marlins may have the most homers in the league, but they have also committed the most errors. Last night, Dan Uggla single handedly could have been given three. We can’t let these opportunities pass, as we saw last night the Marlins have alot of fight in them and won’t give up
• More of the Same from Ollie: Perez had his best game of the year last time out against the Phillies. He went 7.2 innings, giving up only one run while striking out 12. Perez might be able to do the same to the Fish today, as they are an all or nothing team and are notorious for striking out (they lead the league).

Notes:

• Ramon Castro starts against the lefty.
• Nick Evans plays left field in place of Endy Chavez.

For a lineup, head to John Delcos’s blog for the Journal News.

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

The Mets play the first game of a three game set against the third place Florida Marlins tonight in Miami. John Maine will toe the rubber opposite Ricky Nolasco. Gametime is slated for 7:10 EST and can be seen on SNY.

Keys to the Game:

• Avoid the Marlin Longball: The Marlins have three players with over 20 home runs on the year: Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, and Mike Jacobs. Three other players have at least 15: Jorge Cantu, Jeremy Hermida, and Cody Ross. The key to beating any team is avoiding the longball, but with the Marlins it is much more important as they lead the league in Home Runs.
• Need Depth from Maine: In his last start, Maine went seven strong innings, allowing three runs against a tough Philly offense. Tonight, he faces a lineup just as strong, or stronger, in the Marlins. Maine allowed two homers in his last start and will have to avoid that to pickup the W tonight.

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

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

The Mets, weather permitting, look to take the rubber game of their three game set with the Cardinals this afternoon at Shea. Johan Santana will face off against Kyle Lohse. Gametime is slated for 1:10 EST and can be seen on CW11 (again, sorry Dan).

Keys to the Game:

• Gotta Bounce Back: The Mets dropped a tough 10-8 decision last night against the Cards, after coming back twice from three run deficits, only to lose the game. I know this team has showed some resilience before, but today is a huge game. It will help us go off on the right foot on our way to Florida to face the Fish.
• Don’t Blow A Johan Win: Whatever it might be, a Billy Wagner blown save, or a Duaner Sanchez implosion, we have cost Santana a few wins in the 9th inning. Johan is our ace, and we need to win most of his starts if we want October baseball in Flushing.

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

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