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Perez takes mound as Mets try and beat pesky Braves

May 23, 2007 - 2:33 PM NY Mets (28-16) at Atlanta (27-18) 7:35 pm EDT

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Oliver Perez helped the New York Mets beat their cross-town rivals in his last start. Now he faces a division rival that has been a thorn in New York's side for a long time.

Perez takes the mound in the middle game of a three-game series with the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

The lefthanded Perez (5-3, 2.90 ERA) has won his last two starts, his latest being a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Friday. He allowed two runs and five hits in 7 2/3 innings in that outing, and has yielded five earned runs in his last 26 1/3 frames.

Perez is 4-3 with a 3.25 ERA in eight lifetime starts against the Braves. The 26-year-old has beaten Atlanta twice this year, including a 7-2 decision on April 21. He has allowing just three runs in 13 2/3 innings against the National League East foe.

Perez will be trying to help the Mets beat the Braves, something they've done only twice in seven meetings thus far. On Tuesday, Atlanta's Kyle Davies practically topped New York all by himself, yielding a run in eight innings and hitting a three-run homer in an 8-1 win.

While the Mets have the NL's best record, and the major's best road record at 14-6, they have been outscored, 16-6, in the last three losses in Atlanta.

Atlanta will send Chuck James (4-3, 4.15) to the mound as it looks for its second straight win. In his last time out, the lefthander allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, but did not figure in the decision of the Braves' 4-3 loss to Washington on Thursday.

James has not fared well against the Mets in his career, going 1-2 with a 7.02 ERA in five appearances - three starts.