Cincinnati @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 6, 2010 ) Cincinnati 0, NY Mets 3
The Cincinnati Reds have won four consecutive series. The New York Mets have won their last six series at home. Something has to give tonight when the pair of National League contenders square off in the finale of their three-game set at Citi Field.
The Mets, who boast the second-best home record in the National League behind NL East leader Atlanta, have won 15 of their last 19 at Citi Field.
They've won six straight home series dating to May 10-12, when they dropped two of three to Washington. But they need a win tonight to keep that streak alive and they hope 23-year-old left-hander Jonathon Niese can deliver it.
Niese (6-2, 3.62 ERA) has won his last five decisions and the Mets have won each of the last six games he has started. He has five quality starts in six outings since returning from the disabled list June 5.
The rookie endured a rough outing June 22 against Detroit, failing to get out of the fifth inning after waiting out a rain delay, but he has regained his dominant form in his past two starts. He threw six scoreless innings against Minnesota on June 27 and followed it up with seven innings of one-run ball at Washington on Friday, allowing six hits and racking up a season-high eight strikeouts.
Niese has faced the Reds once, taking a no-decision at Cincinnati on May 5 when he allowed four runs on 12 hits over six innings in the Reds' 5-4 victory. Niese surrendered home runs to Jonny Gomes and Brandon Phillips in that game, which the Reds won on Orlando Cabrera's homer in the 10th.
The Reds haven't come out on the wrong end of a series since they were swept in a three-game set at Seattle from June 18-20. They've won 11 of 15 since, but after being shut out by Johan Santana on Tuesday, they're in danger of having that streak snapped.
It was a rare quiet night for the Reds' offense, which leads the National League in several categories, including runs, hits, home runs and batting average. They managed only three hits against Santana - a double from Phillips and singles by Cabrera and Scott Rolen - matching their lowest output of the season.
They'll try to bounce back in support of Bronson Arroyo, who is coming off one of his best starts of the year, holding the Cubs to two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in the Reds' 12-0 win Friday. Arroyo (8-4, 4.25 ERA) has won three of his last four starts.
Arroyo has won his last four decisions against the Mets and is 6-2 with a 3.54 ERA in 10 career starts against them. He took a no-decision in his only meeting against New York this season, allowing four runs on seven hits in the Mets' 5-4 victory May 4 in Cincinnati.
In Arroyo's only previous start at Citi Field, he threw a four-hit shutout in the Reds' 3-0 victory July 10, 2009.
Jose Reyes (8-for-25, 1 HR) is the only Mets player hitting over .300 in his career against Arroyo. Reyes returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing six games with an oblique injury and went 2-for-4 and scored a run.