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Marlins-Mets Preview

Aug 25, 2010 - 4:50 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Florida (62-61) at New York (62-62), 7:10 p.m. EDT

The Florida Marlins have fared well against the New York Mets for the most part this season.

Just not at Citi Field.

With rookie Alex Sanabia looking for another strong start, the Marlins try to avoid a fifth consecutive road loss to the Mets on Wednesday night.

Florida (62-62) is 8-6 against New York this season but fell to 2-5 at Citi Field with a 6-5 defeat in Tuesday's series opener. Three of the Marlins' last four losses in Queens were decided by one run.

Florida went 6-3 at Citi Field during the stadium's first season of 2009.

Luis Castillo hit a game-ending single as the Mets (63-62) scored a run with two outs in each of the last two innings Tuesday, moving them past the Marlins into third place in the NL East. New York has won three of four.

"The two-out hits, we have to find a way to close the inning," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "That really hurts."

New York's Angel Pagan went 4 for 5 and has gone 8 for 17 in his last four games. He is batting .368 against the Marlins this season.

New York will get its first look at Sanabia (2-1, 3.77 ERA) as a starter. The right-hander allowed two runs in two innings and took the loss in a 6-5 defeat to the Mets on June 30.

Sanabia, 22, has fared much better when starting. In his first outing since being recalled from Triple-A New Orleans, he gave up a run and struck out five in 7 2-3 innings of a 4-2 win at Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Sanabia has allowed one or no runs in four of his five starts for the Marlins. He went 6-1 with a 1.92 ERA in 16 minor league starts this season.

"I'm keeping things the same," Sanabia said. "When I'm up here, I'm still doing the same I do (in the minors). I'm not changing anything."

Hanley Ramirez had three hits and Gaby Sanchez hit a three-run homer Tuesday for Florida, which has lost two straight since winning a season-high five in a row.

Sanchez has gone 8 for 18 with three homers and 11 RBIs in his last five games. He is batting .407 with two home runs and nine RBIs against the Mets in 2010.

Ramirez, 7 for 16 in his last four games, is 3 for 9 against Pat Misch (0-2, 3.00), who makes his third start since being called up from the minors.

The left-hander went six innings in each outing, but his teammates totaled two runs in those games. Misch gave up a three-run homer in a 3-2 loss at Houston on Thursday

"It is dispiriting. It's frustrating," Misch told the Mets' official website. "I believe the runs are going to come."

Though Misch is 1-2 with a 5.59 ERA as a starter against the Marlins, he pitched the only complete game of his career in a 4-0 victory at Florida on Sept. 27.