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Maine looks to rebound vs. Padres

Jul 18, 2007 - 2:59 PM NY Mets (52-41) at San Diego (51-41) 10:05 pm EDT

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- The New York Mets broke out of their offensive slump on Tuesday. Now John Maine looks to return to his recent form.

Maine takes the mound Wednesday with a chance to tie the Los Angeles Dodgers' Brad Penny for the National League lead in wins when the Mets face the San Diego Padres in the finale of a three-game series.

Maine (10-5, 2.91 ERA) absorbed his worst start of the season on Friday, giving up seven runs - four earned - and six hits in 4 2/3 innings of an 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

The loss snapped a string of four straight winning starts for the 26-year-old righthander, who will be facing San Diego for the first time in his brief career.

Maine should be able to bounce back nicely considering he is 7-1 in his last nine road starts and his 2.25 ERA away from Shea Stadium ranks second in the NL.

New York rebounded from a 5-1 loss in the opener as Orlando Hernandez threw seven strong innings and Carlos Beltran drove in two runs in a 7-0 win on Tuesday. The Mets scored more than three runs for just the fifth time in their last 14 games.

San Diego, which was shut out for just the third time this season, will send future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux (7-7, 4.35) to the mound.

Maddux is winless in July and has an atrocious ERA of 8.08. Maddux has lost three straight decisions, including an 8-3 loss at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday where he gave up four runs and nine hits in four innings.

Maddux, who has 340 career wins, is trying to avoid losing four straight starts since a career-worst five-game skid in 1990.