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Marlins-Mets Preview

Jun 6, 2010 - 1:01 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Florida (28-28) at New York (28-27), 1:10 p.m. EDT

Last month, New York was swept on the road by the Florida Marlins. The Mets are now on the verge of returning the favor on their home field.

Looking for an eighth straight victory at Citi Field overall, the Mets try to complete their first three-game home sweep of the Marlins in almost 10 years Sunday.

New York (29-27) had lost six in a row to Florida prior to winning the first two games of this series, 4-3 on Friday and 6-1 on Saturday. The Mets dropped two of three to the Marlins at Citi Field to open the season, and got outscored 26-16 while being swept in four games at Florida from May 13-16.

The Mets have put those disappointments in the past this weekend, as they're in position to sweep a three-game set from Florida (28-29) in Queens for the first time since June 26-28, 2000. New York, which has already overtaken the Marlins for third in the NL East this weekend, has won seven in a row and 17 of 21 at Citi Field.

"If you watch us play at home, I expect us to win the division," said outfielder Jeff Francoeur, who went 2 for 4 on Saturday. "We've accepted we're going to play to our advantage with this field."

Rookie Ike Davis had a career-high four hits in Saturday's win, and David Wright homered. Wright is 10 for 20 with six RBIs in his last six games. His home run Saturday was just his second of the season at Citi Field, with the first coming against the Marlins on Opening Day.

"It's just a number. Home runs don't really mean that much to me," said Wright, who has 10 overall homers this season to match his total from 2009. "It's not that big of a deal. The important thing is when they come."

The All-Star third baseman is a lifetime .341 hitter with three home runs in 41 at-bats against Florida's scheduled starter Ricky Nolasco (5-4, 4.57 ERA), who seeks his third straight win over the Mets.

Nolasco is 4-6 with a 5.79 ERA in 15 career starts versus New York, but 2-0 with a 3.81 ERA in his last four, and 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA in two this season.

The right-hander avoided a third straight loss Tuesday, allowing three runs and striking out eight in seven innings of a 6-4 win over Milwaukee on Tuesday.

New York counters with rookie Hisanori Takahashi (4-2, 3.21 ERA), who will make his fourth start after 15 appearances out of the bullpen.

The left-hander held opponents scoreless over 12 innings at Citi Field in his first two starts, but gave up six runs in four innings of an 18-6 loss at San Diego on Monday.

"I feel like there was really nothing different this time around than in previous outings," Takahashi told the Mets' official website. "It's just that I was hit this time around."

Takahashi is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in three relief appearances versus the Marlins.

Florida has dropped three of four, totaling 11 runs in that span. All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez went 0 for 4 on Saturday, and is 1 for 13 in his last three games against New York.