The Mets look to take control of their series against the Astros in game three of the four game set. Oliver Perez will oppose Randy Wolf. Gametime is slated for 1:10 EST and can be seen on the CW11 and can be heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• Breakthrough Against Wolf: Wolf has owned the Mets throughout his career. He has beaten us twice already with two different teams this year (Astros and Padres) and has a 11-5 record career against the Mets. Wolf allowed six earned in his last start, so it’s not like he’s throwing particularly well. Although, look at Brandon Backe. Enough said.
• !Es Tatis Time!: After a few days on the bench after the return of Ryan Church, Tatis will make his first start in three days to spell Church against the lefty. Tatis was huge was this team, so it’s nice to see Jerry Manuel looking for spots to get his guys playing time.

For a lineup, check out John Delcos’ blog for The Journal News.

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

The Mets and Astros play game two of their four game set tonight at Shea Stadium. John Maine will make hie third start off the DL for the Mets, and Brandon Backe will look for his eighth win for the Astros. Gametime is slated for 7:10 EST and the game can be seen on SNY.

Keys to the Game:

• Hold Down Berkman: Astros 1B Lance Berkman has been a stabilizing force in the Astros for all of this year. With Carlos Lee now down for the year, Berkman is the one bat in the Astro lineup that you can’t let beat you.
• Need A Solid Six From Maine: In his first two starts off the DL, Maine has gone five innings in each game. In game one, Brian Stokes was successful in relieving Maine, throwing four shutout innings. The second time, not so much. Stokes allowed a game tieing homer to Adam LaRoche, and it was the only game the Mets have lost in their last 11. If Maine can give us a good six, than we can go to Smith/Feliciano in the 7th, Sanchez in the 8th, and Ayala in the 9th.

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

For in-game chat, banter, and discussion, head on over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.

The Mets and Astros begin a four game set tonight at Shea, starting at 7:10 EST. Johan Santana will look for his 12th win, fresh off his complete game shutout of the Pirates. Roy Oswalt will go for the Astros. Oswalt went eight strong in his last outing, allowing only one hit. The game can be seen on SNY and can be heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• Runs At A Premium: With both team’s aces on the mound tonight, runs will be at a premium and one or two runs could win the game. The Mets had three hits with two outs yesterday, driving in three runs. If they are able to cash in on those big spots tonight, they should be in good shape.
• Jump On Oswalt Early: For much of the year, Oswalt had been having trouble with his hip, and was having the worst season of his career statistically. Well, looks like taking time off to rest the hip has worked. Oswalt was in complete control his last game, and many of his teammates called it the “best game they have seen him pitch”. The Mets cannot allow Oswalt to settle into a groove, as it will be lights out if they do.

Lineup:

• SS Jose Reyes
• 2B Argenis Reyes
• 3B David Wright
• CF Carlos Beltran
• 1B Carlos Delgado
• LF Daniel Murphy
• RF Ryan Church
• C Brian Schneider
• P Johan Santana

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

The Mets look to sweep the Braves this evening with Pedro Martinez taking on ex-Mets SP Mike Hampton.

Keys to the game:

• Beat up Hampton.  To put it simply, Hampton has been riddled by injuries and is barely a shell of his old self.  In five starts this year he has a 6.92 ERA, and the Mets should have no trouble putting up runs on the board against him. 
• Keep it up Pedro.  Although he struggled early on in the season and has been out for many times for many reasons, Pedro has been solid lately allowing seven runs in the last 24.1 innings for a 2.59 ERA.  Pedro has to continue to be efficient and take advantage of a Mark Teixeira-less lineup.

For a full lineup, head over to Adam Rubin’s blog Surfing the Mets. 

For in-game chat, banter, discussion and edgy Mets fans, head over to the Hot Foot Bleachers. 

The Mets and Braves play game two of their three game set tonight starting at 7:10 EST. Mike Pelfrey will oppose Jair Jurrjens. The game can be seen on SNY and can be heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• Timely Hitting is Crucial: With the Mets facing a tough pitcher tonight in Jurrjens, timely hitting will be huge. The Mets will need to get the guys in from 3rd with less than two outs, and have to avoid the strikeout.
• The Big Pelf: Pelfrey has not lost to anyone but the Marlins since May 26th, but the Braves have roughed him up a bit in the two starts he made against the team this year. Pelfrey surrendered five runs in 5.1 innings April 25th, and allowed six runs in four innings on May 21st. Pelfrey will need to get the fastball in on the Braves right handed hitters to limit the damage the lefties in the lineup can do.

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

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

The Mets begin a three game set versus the 4th place Braves tonight starting at 7:10 EST. Oliver Perez will be opposed by Jo-Jo Reyes. The game can be seen on SNY and can be heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• Beat up Jo-Jo: Reyes is 0-5 with an ERA over 8 in his last five starts in the big leagues. He tends to be wild and we need to jump on him early before he is able to settle into a nice little rhythm.
• Welcome Back Jose: Jose Reyes makes his return after a day on the bench yesterday. As we saw, the Mets go as Jose goes.

Lineup:

• SS Jose Reyes
• LF Nick Evans
• 3B David Wright
• CF Carlos Beltran
• 1B Carlos Delgado
• RF Fernando Tatis
• 2B Damion Easley
• C Ramon Castro
• P Oliver Perez

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

The Mets go for the four game sweep of the Pirates this afternoon starting at 12:35 EST. John Maine will look for his second straight win, and will be opposed by lefty Paul Maholm. The game can be seen on SNY and can be heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• Another Good One By Maine: Maine came off the DL Wednesday to throw five shutout innings against the Nationals, allowing just one hit and striking out seven. Maine should be able to pick through through this weak Pirates offense and deliver another great outing today.
• No Jose Jose Jose: Jose Reyes gets the day off today, with Damion Easley sliding over to play SS today. The Mets lose a lot at the top of the lineup without Reyes, but with the team playing well and Argenis Reyes playing better on the roadtrip, they should be able to pickup the slack without Reyes.

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

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

The Mets look for their sixth straight win today against the Pirates, starting at 1:35 EST. Johan Santana will look for his 11th win, and will toe the rubber opposite Jeff Karstens, who has a sparkling 1.23 ERA since being traded from the Yankees to the Bucs in the Xavier Nady deal. The game can be seen on the CW11 and can be heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• Wright Sits: With the team streaking, and playing a second division ballclub, Jerry Manuel has decided to give David Wright a much deserved day off. Interestingly, he has not moved anyone around in the batting order to accommodate Wright’s loss. Damion Easley will play third, and slot into the third position in the order.
• Johan the Magnificent: Santana has been stellar this year, but does not have the W’s to show for it. With the main cogs in the Mets bullpen starting to come together as one group, and throwing the ball better as a whole, Santana should be getting more wins for his efforts over the course of the next six weeks.

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

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

The Mets face the Pirates in game two of their four game weekend set tonight starting at 7:05 EST. Pedro Martinez will look to build on his last start, and will be opposed by lefty Zach Duke, who is 4-10 on the year. The game can be seen on SNY and heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• Get On Top Early: The Mets have scored in the first inning in four of their last five games, and are 4-1 during that stretch. When a team goes on top early on a team out of the race, most of the time those teams will sail into the sunset, unless you hand them the game of course. The Pirates are a second division team, and we should be able to beat these guys.
• Pedro Turning It Around?: Martinez has gone six innings in his last two starts, allowing two runs and one run during the two starts. He will face the Pirates, who just five days ago held to one run in six innings. I’m starting to feel more and more comfortable with Pedro on the mound.

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

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