San Diego @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 28, 2015 ) San Diego 0, NY Mets 4

The New York Mets go for their fourth consecutive victory when they host the San Diego Padres on Wednesday in the second of a three-game series. New York continued its stellar play at home, improving to 35-16 at Citi Field with Tuesday's 4-0 victory and drawing within one game of the first-place Washington Nationals in the National League East.

The Mets bolstered their bullpen on Monday with the acquisition of Tyler Clippard, who converted 17 of 21 saves with Oakland prior to the trade. The deal loomed especially large when reliever Jenrry Mejia was handed a 162-game suspension by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for his second violation of the league's drug policy this season. The Padres didn't have a runner reach base until the seventh inning in the opener of a 10-game road trip en route to their 15th shutout loss of the year. San Diego sends right-hander Tyson Ross to the mound Tuesday to oppose New York's Bartolo Colon.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego, SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Tyson Ross (6-8, 3.45 ERA) vs. Mets RH Bartolo Colon (9-9, 4.60)

Ross' six start unbeaten streak came to a halt in his last outing when he was reached for four runs (three earned) over 5 2/3 innings in a 4-0 defeat versus Miami. He was 3-0 with five quality starts and one rain-shortened outing over his previous six turns while permitting a total of nine earned runs. He has allowed one run over 14 innings in two career starts versus the Mets, including seven scoreless frames last year.

Colon dropped to 0-5 over his last six starts despite a superb effort last time out, limiting the Los Angeles Dodgers to one run and five hits over a season-high eight innings. New York's offense has been abysmal during Colon's six-game skid, managing a combined four runs while failing to score in three of his starts. Colon is 2-2 with a 2.67 ERA versus the Padres but has struggled against Melvin Upton Jr., who is 10-for-33 against him.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mets RF Curtis Granderson has his safely in three straight and 11 of 12 games.

2. Padres 2B Jedd Gyorko is 2-for-22 over the last seven games.

3. Mets 1B Lucas Duda has homered three times in the past three games.

PREDICTION: Mets 4, Padres 3