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Cardinals-Mets Preview

Jul 28, 2010 - 3:46 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

St. Louis (55-44) at New York (50-49), 7:10 p.m. EDT

The New York Mets had their best day at the plate since early July in their opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. As the series continues, though, it'll be hard to imagine anything but a pitcher's duel unfolding.

Johan Santana and Jaime Garcia were both brilliant when the Mets and Cardinals played a 20-inning marathon in April, and they'll square off again Wednesday night at Citi Field.

New York (51-49) scored 23 runs on a miserable 2-9 road trip to begin the second half, but found its rhythm at the plate quickly upon returning home. Jeff Francoeur hit a three-run homer and Jose Reyes added a two-run shot in the Mets' 8-2 win over the Cardinals (55-45) on Tuesday night.

It was the first time New York scored more than six runs since July 4.

"Our time will come as a team," said Carlos Beltran, who went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

The Mets took advantage of Adam Wainwright - who came in with baseball's second-best ERA - in the opener, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see their offense struggle again Wednesday.

Garcia (9-4, 2.21 ERA) now has the majors' No. 2 ERA, and he's already shut down New York. The rookie's second start came against the Mets on April 17, and a single by Angel Pagan was the only hit he allowed in seven innings.

Santana (8-5, 2.79), however, was just as good. The two-time Cy Young Award winner held the Cardinals to four hits over seven innings while striking out nine.

Both were long gone by the time the game was decided. New York's 2-1, 20-inning victory took 6 hours, 53 minutes, the majors' longest game since San Diego and Colorado played 22 innings on April 17, 2008, and the first that was scoreless through 18 in more than two decades.

"It was the most unbelievable game I've ever been a part of," Francoeur said. "How we won, I have no clue."

Santana has been rather incredible all month. The left-hander held the Dodgers to a run over seven innings in a 6-1 win Friday to improve to 3-0 with a 0.71 ERA in five July outings.

"It was great for me and the whole team," Santana said.

Santana, who hasn't allowed a run in 18 consecutive innings at Citi Field, has pitched well against the Cardinals prior to April's marathon. He's 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in four starts versus St. Louis, though Albert Pujols is 6 for 15 (.400) with two homers.

Garcia wasn't quite as good in his latest outing as he was against the Mets, but he was still very solid. The lefty limited Philadelphia to four hits and a run over seven innings last Wednesday in a 5-1 victory, bouncing back from two starts where he surrendered 17 hits in 8 2-3 innings.

"Every time you go out there you try to learn from the mistakes and make sure it doesn't happen again," Garcia said.. "I'm not going to say it's easy. No matter what happens the last outing you've got to flush it out."

One potential threat Garcia won't have to worry about is Jason Bay. The left fielder was diagnosed with a mild concussion Tuesday, four days after crashing into the wall during Santana's start against the Dodgers.

He'll likely miss at least the rest of this series.