Mets 71-73 vs Cubs 62-82 Preview

Chris Capuano 10-12, 4.63 ERA

Randy Wells 7-4, 4.86 ERA

Mets Saturday lineup vs. the Cubs: Reyes-SS, Turner-2B, Duda-RF, Wright-3B, Pagan-CF, Bay-LF, Evans-1B, Nickeas-C, Capuano-LHPless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyNew York Mets
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Chris Capuano was looking like his old self when he dominated the Braves in a complete game shutout and striking out 13 on August 26th. Since then he has taken a step backwards. After holding opponents to two runs and striking out 17 over 16 innings in his final two starts of August, Capuano gave up 6 runs and 8 hits on Monday only going four innings in a 9-3 loss to the Marlins. Capuano failed to get to 5 innings of work for the first time in his 27 starts. “It was frustrating. I could never settle into a good rhythm,” Capuano said. “The ball was kind of flat and up a little bit. I just really couldn’t make that adjustment.”

The Mets gave the Cubs their 12th defeat in their last 18 games on Friday, as Justin Turner walked-off with a game winning double in the 9th inning with two outs, giving the Mets the 5-4 victory. The Mets, who are mathematically done with making a post-season appearance for the 4 straight year, rallied after giving up the tying run in the top of the 9th and won for the 11th time in 16 games. "Regardless of where you're at, those are always exciting," outfielder Jason Bay said. Jason Bay, who doubled twice yesterday, is now batting .444 with 3 homeruns, 4 doubles and 10 RBIs during his eight game hitting streak. In Bay's previous 15 games, he was hitting .089 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs.

Justin Turner delivers his 1st walk-off hit in his second successful walk-off plate apperance. On June 22nd, he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 13th inning against the Oakland A's. Jason Bay has continue to stay hot at the plate with his two doubles on Friday, extending his hitting streak to 8 games. He is hitting 15-for-38 (.398) over his last 11 games with 5 doubles, 3 homeruns and 11 RBIs. Bay's two doubles Friday marked his 1st game with two extra base hits since July 28th in Cincinnati. Mike Pelfrey took a no-decision but was pleased with his improvement as he lasted 6 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs. It was his longest outing since a complete game win July 27th at Cincinnati.

Chris Capuano:

• 1-2, 5.16 ERA, 29.2IP 31H 17ER 6BB 33K 5HRs (Last 5 Games)
• Home (This Year) - 4-5, 3.97 ERA, 88.1IP 88H 39ER 23BB 81K 8HRs .259BAA (14 Starts)
• Career vs Cubs - 8-3, 3.88 ERA, 72.0IP 68H 31ER 18BB 55K 13HRs .249BAA (13 Games, 11 Starts)

Randy Wells:

• 4-0, 2.14 ERA, 33.2IP 23H 8ER 8BB 21K 4HRs (Last 5 Games)
• Away (This Year) - 3-2, 5.11 ERA, 44.0IP 49H 25ER 10BB 27K 7HRs .280BAA (8 Starts)
• Career vs Mets - 0-1, 3.06 ERA, 17.2IP 21H 6ER 6BB 11K 1HR .288BAA (3 Starts)

In Case You Missed It:

- Johan Santana made his 3rd minor league rehab start, and second since September 3rd. He threw three innings and did not allow an earned run for the Savannah Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League. Johan pitched in a playoff game for the Gnats, who went on to win 3-2. 

- Mike Pelfrey had reach 30 starts on the season when he went to the mound on Friday. That marked the 4th consecutive season that Pelfrey has started at least 30 games, the 1st Mets pitcher to go that many consecutive seasons since Tom Glavine did it in 5th consecutive years from 2003-2007. 

- Jose Reyes went 1-for-4 with a double, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. He still leads the NL in batting with a .335 average. Milwaukee's Ryan Braun is second with a .331 average.

Quoted by Terry Collins: "That is exactly who he is. You can't ask him to play any different than how he knows how. What we have to do is somehow educate him is that, look, it doesn't always have to be 100 percent. It sounds like you're asking him not to hustle; that's not it. Ultimately, a guy that's this important to this team and his legs are his game, he's got to understand what it takes to take care of his legs. Not asking him to jog, just asking him to know when to bust it and when not to." - On the efforts to keep SS Jose Reyes healthy.