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Phillies-Mets Preview

Aug 15, 2010 - 3:28 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Philadelphia (64-51) at New York (58-57), 8:10 p.m. EDT

The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets have done nothing but play shutouts at Citi Field this year. If that trend continues, the Mets may be more likely to prevail Sunday.

New York will send Mike Pelfrey and his 3-0 career mark at Citi Field against the Phillies to the mound Sunday night in the finale of this three-game set.

The Mets (58-58) won their first four home matchups with the Phillies (65-51) this year by shutout before Philadelphia finally scored at Citi Field in a 4-0 victory Saturday as ace Roy Halladay went eight innings. Halladay also scored the Phillies' first run in 38 innings at New York on Placido Polanco's single in the third.

That was the only earned run for Philadelphia. The Phillies made it 2-0 when Jimmy Rollins scored on rookie second baseman Ruben Tejada's error in the fifth, and added two more runs thanks to an error by All-Star third baseman David Wright in the sixth.

Philadelphia, which had one hit in Friday's 1-0 loss, pulled within two games of first-place Atlanta in the NL East.

"Everyone feels like we're a contending team," said Halladay, who has never pitched in the postseason. "Everybody feels like we're going to be in the thick of it. You try to pitch the same as you would regardless, but it's definitely more fun knowing there could be something good down the road."

Mets starters, meanwhile, are 4-2 with a 1.12 ERA over their last seven games.

That includes a huge effort Tuesday by Pelfrey (11-6, 3.95 ERA), who gave up four hits over seven innings to outduel 17-game winner Ubaldo Jimenez in a 1-0 victory over Colorado. Pelfrey had been 0-4 with a 9.24 ERA over his previous six starts.

"It looked like he was attacking," manager Jerry Manuel said. "I think Mike's on his way back."

The right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four career outings at Citi Field against the Phillies, including a 3-0 victory May 27 in which he lasted seven innings. Pelfrey is 7-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 13 starts at home in 2010.

This will be the first outing at Citi Field for Kyle Kendrick (7-5, 4.60), who is 2-2 with a 3.34 ERA in six career starts against the Mets. He faced them once this year, yielding four runs over five innings in a 9-1 home loss April 30.

The Mets' Jeff Francouer homered off Kendrick in that contest, and is 9 for 22 in his career against him. Francouer may start Sunday as a result.

Kendrick gave up six runs in 3 1-3 innings Tuesday in a 15-9 home loss to the Dodgers. The right-hander had been 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA over his previous three starts.

Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez was booed Saturday when he returned to the mound, hours after he apologized to teammates and fans for a physical altercation at Citi Field that resulted in his arrest and two-day suspension. Rodriguez worked a scoreless inning.

"If I was a fan," Rodriguez said, "I also would have booed me."

Rodriguez got Raul Ibanez to fly out to end the top of the ninth, dropping Ibanez to 0 for 13 in three games since his career-high 18-game hitting streak ended Thursday.