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Mets, Hernandez look to win series vs. Dodgers

Jul 22, 2007 - 2:33 PM NY Mets (54-43) at LA Dodgers (55-43) 4:10 pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The New York Mets turn to Orlando Hernandez to help them come out ahead on a tough road trip.

Hernandez and the Mets hope to improve on their National League-leading 28 road wins when they face the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.

New York wasted a four-run lead en route to dropping an 8-6 decision to Los Angeles on Saturday. The loss dropped the Mets to 3-3 on a seven-game road trek which has seen them face the San Diego Padres and the Dodgers, the two best teams in the NL West.

To finish the road trip above .500, the club will call upon Hernandez (6-4, 2.96 ERA). The 37-year-old righthander has won two straight and three of his last four starts. Hernandez yielded only two hits in seven innings in a 7-0 shutout of San Diego last Tuesday.

Hernandez, who is 1-2 in four career starts against the Dodgers, has not won three straight starts since April 30-May 11, 2005, when he pitched for the Chicago White Sox.

Los Angeles counters with Eric Stults (0-1, 5.06), who is making his first start of the season. In his last appearance, the lefthander was tagged for four runs and eight hits in three innings of relief as Los Angeles was crushed by Philadelphia, 15-3, on Tuesday.

Stults defeated the Mets in his first major league start, limiting them to one run and two hits in six innings in the Dodgers' 9-1 victory last September 10. It remains his only win in 10 career games - including two starts.