Welcome back Alou
. Let's go Mets baby, sweep these baby Pirates.
Tuesday, July 24 Purchase Tickets Shea Stadium | 7:10 PM ET
PIT Ian Snell, RHP (7-7, 3.31)
Pirates (41-56) @ NYM John Maine, RHP (10-5, 3.07)
Mets (55-43)
Scouting Report:
Pirates: Snell clearly wasn't at his best in his last start. He gave up multiple home runs for the second straight start and had consecutive non-quality starts for just the second time this season. Snell gave up five earned runs on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts and took the loss.
Mets: After winning four straight starts, Maine has lost two since the break. Again, home runs are hurting him: Six of the 11 runs he has surrendered in the losses have scored on three long balls. Now, he faces the Pirates at Shea, where he has a 3-4 record and 3.64 ERA in nine starts.
Wednesday, July 25 Purchase Tickets Shea Stadium | 7:10 PM ET
PIT Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (9-5, 3.20)
Pirates (41-56) @ NYM Tom Glavine, LHP (8-6, 4.51)
Mets (55-43)
Scouting Report:
Pirates: Gorzelanny certainly deserved a better fate in his last start, as he picked up his fifth loss of the season despite allowing just a two-run, first-inning home run in his seven innings of work. Gorzelanny did a better job of minimizing his pitch count until running into a seventh-inning jam. Gorzelanny will be looking for his first career win at Shea Stadium after lasting only four innings and allowing five runs and four walks in a loss against the Mets last season.
Mets: After a most frustrating and ignominious experience in his previous start -- not winning after being staked to a 6-0 lead in the first inning against the Dodgers -- Glavine takes a second shot at gaining his 299th victory. The veteran southpaw has two victories, no losses and a 1.90 ERA against the Pirates in the past two seasons.
Thursday, July 26 Purchase Tickets Shea Stadium | 12:10 PM ET
PIT Paul Maholm, LHP (6-12, 4.57)
Pirates (41-56) @ NYM Oliver Perez, LHP (9-6, 3.00)
Mets (55-43)
Scouting Report:
Pirates: Maholm's sub-par record and ERA are deceptive. Both are still recovering from the rough start Maholm had to his season, but are not reflective of the way the left-hander has pitched lately. With all four of his pitches finally in sync, Maholm has now pitched into the seventh in six of his past seven starts. Maholm, who has already proven to be a much stronger second-half pitcher in his short career, has allowed two runs in 12 innings at Shea Stadium in his career.
Mets: Perez retired all 10 batters he faced with runners on base and all six he faced with runners in scoring position in his most recent start, Friday against the Dodgers. In his five most recent starts, opposing hitters are batting .143 with runners on base and .105 with runners in scoring position. Perez has faced the Pirates twice, going 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA against his former team.
