San Diego @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 8, 2011 ) San Diego 8, NY Mets 9

THE STORY: The New York Mets may not be a playoff team, but they are certainly a resilient bunch. Coming off perhaps their most satisfying win of the season, the Mets will try to make it two straight without their top hitters – Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy – on Tuesday when they host the San Diego Padres. Rookie Lucas Duda hit a walk-off, two-run single in the ninth and the Mets rallied from a four-run deficit in the final two innings for a 9-8 win on Monday. The loss snapped the Padres’ four-game winning streak.

TV: 7:10 pm. ET, SNY, Ch4 (San Diego)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Chris Capuano (9-10, 4.44 ERA) vs. Padres LH Wade LeBlanc (0-2, 4.98).

Capuano is 1-3 with a 4.38 ERA in his last five starts and has struggled to keep the ball in the park. He’s given up 17 homers in 127 2/3 innings, including four in his last three outings. The lefthander is 4-2 with a 3.89 ERA in seven appearances against San Diego. LeBlanc will make his fifth start of the season – and first since July 31 – in place of Dustin Moseley, who is out for the season after having shoulder surgery.

ABOUT THE METS (57-57): The Mets have no grand illusions of winning the National League wild card. They are nine games back of Atlanta and are without Reyes, who re-injured the hamstring that landed him on the disabled list last month, and Murphy, who’s out for the season with a torn MCL. Reyes leads the NL in hitting (.336) and Murphy is fifth (.320). New York isn’t giving up, though, as evidenced by Monday’s win. The Mets turned the tables on their opponents after losing four of their last five games in the final at-bat. Rookie Mike Baxter, who was called up to take Murphy’s roster spot, had a pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth inning. David Wright homered at Citi Field for the first time since May 13.

ABOUT THE PADRES (51-65): The Padres’ four-game winning streak ended not because of their offense, but because baseball’s best bullpen (2.80 ERA entering Monday) coughed up a four-run lead. Heath Bell, who pitched from the Mets from 2004-06, blew his third save of the season. Surprisingly, the offense continues to produce. The Padres have scored 46 runs over their last five games. They still have the fourth-worst offense in the majors (3.8 runs per game). Jesus Guzman, who drove in two runs Monday, extended his hitting streak to nine games. Jason Bartlett had a three-run double Monday and is now hitting .329 (23-for-70) with nine RBIs and 15 runs scored over his last 17 games.

FINAL PITCH: Zack Wheeler earned his first win as a member of the Mets’ organization on Sunday. Wheeler, the sixth overall pick in the 2009 draft, was acquired in the deal that sent Carlos Beltran to San Francisco. The righthander allowed four hits and struck out seven in six scoreless innings for Class A St. Lucie of the Florida State League.