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.

Eight straight! The Mets blanked the Rockies by a score of 3-0 this afternoon at Shea. Carlos Muniz got the win for the Mets, and Ubaldo Jimenez took the loss for the Rockies. Billy Wagner closed it out for his 22nd save of the year.

A few notes:

• Pedro Martinez went 4 scoreless innings, but left after experiencing right shoulder stiffness.
• Carlos Beltran doubled, stole third, and was driven home by Fernando Tatis in the 4th for the Mets 1st run of the day.
• Jose Reyes crushed his 10th homer of the year off Jimenez.
• Brian Schneider delivered an rbi double to drive home Carlos Delgado to put the Mets up 3-0.
• The bullpen committee of Muniz, Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoeneweis, and Billy Wagner combined on five hitless innings. The Mets pen has now held opponents scoreless in it’s last 18.1 innings.

The Mets look for the sweep and their ninth straight win tomorrow vs the Rockies. Mike Pelfrey will face Mark Redman.

The defending NL Champs come to town for the final series before the All Star break. With the Mets riding high right now with a six game winning streak, and the Rockies being blasted out of Milwaukee 11-1 yesterday by Dave Bush (who?), it’s clear who has the momentum heading into this series. Let’s take a closer look at the pitching matchups…

Game 1: Aaron Cook (11-6 3.66 ERA) vs. Oliver Perez (6-5 4.62)

• Now, many would give the advantage to the Rockies in this matchup based solely on wins and ERA, but the fact of the matter is Perez has been pitching alot better than Cook has in the last few weeks. Perez has allowed one run over his last 14 innings, while Cook has allowed seven runs in his last 16.1 innings pitched. Advantage Mets.

Game 2: Ubaldo Jimenez (4-8 4.21) vs. Pedro Martinez (2-2 6.86)

• It looks as if Jimenez’s June 21st start against the Mets, where he allowed one run over eight innings, might have been the turning point for the young fireballer. Since then, he has allowed a run or less in two of his three starts, not bad. I’d like to see a few more starts from Pedro before i can give him the edge in this matchup. Advantage Rockies.

Game 3: Mike Pelfrey (7-6 3.93) vs. Mark Redman (2-4 7.07)

• This was the easiest choice of the three games. Big Pelf has been oustanding lately, as we all know. The Rockies also throw their weakest pitcher at us in the final game of the series. Advantage Mets.

On the DL: Rockies

• SS Troy Tulowitzki, 1B Todd Helton, and reserve OF Ryan Spilborghs. 2B Jayson Nix and 1B Joe Koshansky have been filling in for Tulowitzki and Spilborghs.

Let’s keep it rolling, Let’s go METS!

MLB.com is reporting that 3B David Wright will be going to the All Star Game after all, as the replacement for injured OF Alfonso Soriano. Wright finished 2nd to Brewers OF Corey Hart in the player voting that ended yesterday.

Good for David, he deserved it.

Break out the brooms! The Mets defeated the Giants by a score of 7-3 this afternoon, sweeping the series, and extending their winning streak to 6 straight games. Scott Schoeneweis pitched a perfect 7th for the win. Sergio Romo took the loss for the Giants.

John Maine had a live fastball today, but no control. In the end, Maine pitched 4.2 innins, allowing three runs on two hits, while walking five and striking out eight. Giants starter Barry Zito wasn’t much better, allowing three runs in five innings of work. Zito also walked six on the day.

Fernando Tatis had the big day at the dish, with a double, homer and four RBI. “SuperTatis”, as he’s known in the Hot Foot Bleachers, has been great for us lately. Who needs Moises Alou?

Hats off to Carlos Muniz as well, who pitched 1.1 innings of work after relieving Maine in the 5th. I’m not Muniz’s biggest fan, but he got the job done today. Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner finished the Giants off.

The Mets look to keep on winning tomorrow when the Rockies come to town. Ollie Perez will face off against Aaron Cook.

In a nice comeback fashion, the Mets defeated the Phillies by a score of 9-4. Pedro Feliciano got the win, and J.C. Romero, famed Met killer, took the loss for the Phils.

John Maine pitched well, allowing only three runs, all on one big swing by Ryan Howard, in 5.2 innings. Maine had to leave the game with a cramp in his left arm.

The Mets got the scoring going in the 1st when Jose Reyes scored on a double play ball, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. They added two more off Phils starter Jamie Moyer. Moyer’s final line read 6.2 innings three runs allowed.

Romero, who had an era under 1.5 in his career versus the Mets before tonight, gave the Mets hope when he allowed back to back singles to Damion Easley and Carlos Delgado. Tom Gordon came on to relieve Romero, and allowed a wild pitch to PH Marlon Anderson, scoring Easley and tieing the game.

In what might be his biggest moment as a Met, Brian Schneider came off the bench to deliver a huge 2 run double to put the Mets up 6-4 and gave them the lead for good.

The Mets continue their four game set tomorrow. Ollie Perez vs Kyle Kendrick.

Baseball America is reporting that the Oakland A’s have locked up pitcher Michael Inoa, the prize of the international market this year.

The signing bonus is reported to be for 4.25m, over 2m more than Wily Mo Pena received as a teenager from the Yankees.  Beane reportedly coveted Inoa from the first time he saw him, and was willing to pay any amount to get him.

Well, I’ll be the first to say giving 4.25m to a 16 year old who has never pitched here in the States and has proven nothing is a little nutty. Then again, we are talking about Billy Beane here. My guess is this guy will become a Cy Young Award winner some day.