• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Diamondbacks-Mets Preview

Aug 1, 2009 - 4:49 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Arizona (44-58) at New York (49-52), 7:10 p.m. EDT

An offensive surge led the New York Mets on their longest winning streak in more than two months. They've since lost consecutive games while struggling to score and did not get any help at the trade deadline.

The Mets look to avoid a third straight loss Saturday night when they continue a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

New York (49-53) beat Colorado 7-0 on Thursday to win a fifth straight game for the first time since a season-high seven-game run from May 4-10. The recent streak saw the Mets hit .317 with five homers while outscoring opponents 36-9, but it ended with a 4-2 loss to the Rockies in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader.

The Mets were held to six hits in that defeat and had only four Friday, falling 3-2 to Arizona (45-58) after Sean Green allowed Justin Upton to score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the eighth.

"We never put a lot of guys on base," Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur said Friday. "We never had the chance for a big inning."

The loss to the Diamondbacks came hours after the non-waiver trade deadline, and New York opted against making any deals to help a club which is well back in both the NL East and wild card races.

"We worked on some things until the last moment," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said. "We were just not able to get it done.

"You've got to take into account where you are when you look at the standings and then of course you've got to take into account some of the prospects that they wanted."

The Mets will give the ball to Oliver Perez (2-3, 7.42 ERA), who is searching for his first victory in four starts.

The left-hander, known for his inconsistent performances and control problems, is 0-1 with a 5.29 ERA in three outings since the All-Star break. He hasn't won since a 5-4 victory over Los Angeles on July 8 - his first start after right patellar tendinitis landed him on the disabled list May 7.

Perez walked at least four batters for the fifth consecutive start Monday and needed 103 pitches to get through five innings in a 7-3 win over Colorado. He allowed three runs and five hits, including two homers.

"They hit the mistakes I made," said Perez, who signed a three-year contract worth $36 million in the offseason.

Perez is 1-5 with a 5.01 ERA in eight starts against the Diamondbacks but hasn't faced them since a loss at Shea Stadium on June 3, 3007.

Arizona is expected to turn to Max Scherzer (6-6, 3.61) as he attempts to win consecutive starts.

The right-hander scattered five hits and struck out eight without a walk in seven innings of a 9-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday. He was 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA in his previous four outings, getting just four total runs of support.

"For a strikeout pitcher to have that much strike zone command, it is really dominant," Diamondbacks manager A. J. Hinch said following Sunday's victory.

Scherzer's only appearance against the Mets came in relief, throwing two no-hit innings in a 5-3, 13-inning loss at New York on June 11, 2008.