Right-hander Jenrry Mejia makes his first start of 2012 and fourth of his career Saturday when the New York Mets try to make it two straight over the Milwaukee Brewers in the middle contest of a three-game series at Miller Park.
The 205-pounder debuted in the minors with the Mets as a 17-year-old and gradually climbed the ladder, initially winning two games in 14 appearances in Single-A ball in 2007.
He reached Double-A in 2009 and ultimately debuted in the majors in 2010, starting three times in 33 appearances while posting an 0-4 record and a 4.62 earned run average across 39 innings.
Mejia was limited to just five starts at Triple-A Buffalo last season, and was 4-4 in 30 appearances in the minors this year before a Sept. 7 return to majors yielded a two-inning relief outing against Atlanta in a 3-0 Mets loss.
He has faced the Brewers once and allowed a hit in a scoreless relief outing.
For Milwaukee, righty Shaun Marcum makes his first appearance at home since June 8.
The 30-year-old was a 9-5 winner over the San Diego Padres on June 8 at Miller Park, where he allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings to improve 5-3 on the season.
He's 0-1 in five road appearances since, including a no-decision in Milwaukee's 5-4 loss at St. Louis on Sept. 9, when Marcum allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings of work.
In two career meetings with the Mets, he's 1-0 and has given up just one run on eight hits in 13 innings.
Marcum is 3-1 in six home starts with a 4.17 ERA in 2012.
On Friday, Daniel Murphy stroked a two-run homer and Lucas Duda added a solo shot to lead the Mets to a 7-3 win over the Brewers.
Ike Davis and Josh Thole also drove in a run for the Mets, who had dropped eight of their last nine entering the game.
"(The Brewers) play great here," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "They're still in the (playoff) hunt. If they make a mistake we have to capitalize, and tonight we did."
Jonathan Niese (11-9) gave up two runs on six hits and struck out five over six innings to snap a three-start losing streak.
Aramis Ramirez went 2-for-4 and Carlos Gomez, Nyjer Morgan and Mike Fiers each knocked in a run for the Brewers, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Fiers (9-8) was tagged for four runs on six hits and struck out four over five innings to absorb the loss.
"Larry was tight. I know pitchers want pitches off the plate, but there weren't many that Larry missed," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said of home plate umpire Larry Vanover." We haven't played this type of game in quite a while. We're going to have one every once in a while. No one expected us to be in this thing (the wild card race), but we got back in it. We just didn't play that well today.
The Mets and Brewers split two games in a series in New York in May, after Milwaukee won four of six games between the teams in 2011.
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