The New York Mets got their quick four-game homestand off to a positive start and will now shoot for a sweep of a two-game series versus the Milwaukee Brewers tonight at Citi Field.
New York posted a 3-1 win over the Brewers last night and received a solid start from veteran Miguel Batista. Batista allowed four hits over seven shutout innings, struck out five and walked just one for the Mets, who have won seven of their last nine games.
"He struggled early with his command and he was behind a lot, but he made key pitches when he had to," Mets manager Terry Collins said about Batista.
Tim Byrdak and Bobby Parnell both pitched the eighth inning and Frank Francisco allowed a run in the ninth for his ninth save. Daniel Murphy had an RBI, a run scored and two of the Mets' three hits. Murphy extended his hit streak to 10 straight games.
Dillon Gee will make the start for New York tonight and he is 2-2 with a 4.78 earned run average in six starts. Gee has posted back-to-back no-decisions and last took the mound in Wednesday's 10-6 win at Philadelphia, as he allowed four runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Gee, a right-hander, is 0-2 in three home outings this season and lost his only start against Milwaukee back on Sept. 30, 2010 in a 9-2 loss. He gave up four runs -- two earned -- in six innings in that one.
Milwaukee has dropped two straight and eight of 12 games.
Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo gave up two runs on two hits and six walks with six strikeouts through six innings to absorb the loss last night.
"It was one of those days that I kind of felt too good," Gallardo said on the club's website. "I think I was overthrowing it a little bit. For all the walks, I was trying to overthrow the curveball instead of letting it do what it does on its own."
Zack Greinke will handle pitching duties for the Brewers Wednesday and he owns a 3-1 mark and a 3.35 earned run average in seven starts this season. He is 2-0 in his past five trips to the hill and has recorded consecutive no- decisions. He fired eight scoreless innings and fanned 11 batters in last Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Cincinnati.
Greinke is 1-1 in three road starts this season and lost his only appearance to the Mets on June 13, 2004 in a 5-2 loss as a member of Kansas City. The righty was reached for five runs in seven innings.
The Brewers and Mets are meeting for the first time since Milwaukee took four of six matchups a year ago. The Brewers had won six in a row as the visitor in this series before Monday's loss.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.