The New York Mets look to wrap up a lengthy five-game series with the Florida Marlins on a positive note when the two NL East inhabitants get together tonight at Citi Field.
The Mets have taken three of the first four meetings with the Marlins and recorded a 3-2 victory last night thanks to Lucas Duda's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning that scored Jose Reyes. Reyes had two hits and Jason Bay went 3-for-4 with an RBI for New York, which has won five of its last six games. David Wright posted a pair of hits and scored in the win.
Chris Capuano wasn't able to follow up a shutout from his last appearance and did not record a decision by allowing two runs in five frames. Manny Acosta threw a scoreless seventh inning for the win and Bobby Parnell later took the hill in the ninth, posting his third save with a scoreless frame. Pedro Beato and Jason Isringhausen also kept the Marlins off the board in relief.
"As maligned as our bullpen has been lately, to get four shutout innings out of our bullpen was a huge outing for us," Mets manager Terry Collins said.
After tonight meeting with the Marlins, the Mets will hit the road to Washington and Florida for a six-game trek. Taking the hill Thursday for the Mets will be veteran righty Miguel Batista, who is in search of his 100th career win. Batista spent the beginning of the season with St. Louis, going 3-2 with a 4.60 ERA in 26 games (1 start). He was released in June.
Batista, 40, is 2-4 with a 3.12 ERA in 25 career meetings, eight of which have been starts, with the Marlins. He last beat the Marlins in 2003 with Arizona.
Florida has dropped three of four and 10 of its last 13 games and saw Chris Volstad continue to struggle on the mound this season. He fell to 5-12 after giving up three runs -- two earned -- and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.
"I pitched well, but not well enough to win," Volstad said on the team's website. "Something to build off of, I guess."
Jose Lopez had two hits and drove in both runs in the first inning for the Marlins.
Clay Hensley draws the start for Florida tonight and he's 2-5 with a 5.40 earned run average in 28 games (8 starts) this season. Hensley was 0-3 in six outings until beating the Phillies in Friday's 6-5 win in which he was reached for three runs in 5 2/3 innings.
The right-hander has faced the Mets four times this season (2 starts) and is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA. In 17 career games, four of which have been starts, against New York, Hensley is 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA.
Florida will head home after Thursday's tilt for a six-game residency versus the Phillies and Mets at Sun Life Stadium.
Florida has won eight of 14 meetings with New York this season.
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