Houston @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( May 2, 2012 ) NY Mets 1, Houston 8
The New York Mets' offense - or perhaps more appropriately, the lack thereof - has been the primary problem during the team's five-game losing skid. New York has scored two runs or fewer in six straight contests, marking the longest such streak for the club since 1982. The Mets will look to get their sluggish offense untracked and avoid matching a season-high losing skid on Friday when they host the woeful Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game set.
New York recorded just five runs en route to getting swept in a four-game series by Colorado. Collin McHugh struck out nine over seven scoreless innings in his major-league debut, but the Mets mustered little against the Rockies' 30th-ranked pitching staff. Houston, which has lost seven in a row and a stunning 43 of 50, is still searching for its first victory under interim manager Tony DeFrancesco.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSH (Houston), SNY (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Jordan Lyles (2-10, 5.70 ERA) vs. Mets LH Jonathon Niese (10-6, 3.49)
Lyles, who hasn't won since June 26, suffered his sixth straight loss after getting torched by Arizona on Saturday. The 21-year-old yielded seven runs on eight hits in four innings in a 12-4 setback to the Diamondbacks. Lyles has yet to face the Mets in his young career.
Niese hasn't been to blame for the Mets' struggles. The 25-year-old, who has allowed one run in his last 17 1/3 innings, tossed 7 1/3 scoreless frames in a 2-0 triumph over Washington on Saturday. Niese fell to 1-2 in his career versus the Astros after getting blitzed for five runs on six hits in three innings in a 6-3 loss on May 1. That effort matched his shortest outing of the season.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York's Daniel Murphy is just 6-for-47 with nine strikeouts in his last 14 games.
2. Houston OF Justin Maxwell did not start the team's last two games due to a bruised right index finger. DeFrancesco noted that Maxwell won't be rushed back into the lineup.
3. Astros OF Ben Francisco collected three hits in Houston's 13-5 loss to St. Louis on Thursday. Francisco is 4-for-14 with four walks in his career versus Niese.