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Pirates-Mets Preview

May 9, 2009 - 3:37 PM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Pittsburgh (12-17) at New York (15-13), 1:10 p.m. EDT

New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel was already set to rest a couple of his left-handed hitters - likely excluding red-hot Carlos Delgado. Manuel, though, likely didn't expect to spend Saturday resting himself.

With Manuel serving a one-game suspension, Delgado and the Mets look to extend a season-high five-game winning streak in the middle game of their series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.

Bench coach Sandy Alomar Sr. will manage the Mets in this contest after Major League Baseball suspended Manuel for making contact with umpire Bill Welke during Thursday night's 7-5 win over Philadelphia. The amount of Manuel's fine was not disclosed.

Pittsburgh (12-17) will send left-hander Paul Maholm (3-0, 2.97 ERA) to the mound as it tries to win for the first time in seven games, so the Mets (15-13) are expected to put right-handed batters Gary Sheffield and Fernando Tatis in the outfield in place of lefties Ryan Church and Daniel Murphy.

Though he's 0 for 9 against Maholm, Delgado's spot as the cleanup hitter is most likely safe. The veteran first baseman hit a three-run homer off left-handed reliever Sean Burnett and finished with five RBIs in New York's 7-3 win over Pittsburgh on Friday night.

"It's a team effort," Delgado said. "We get guys on, we put together good at-bats, put pressure on the opposition and good things happen."

Delgado's fourth homer gave him 1,512 RBIs, breaking a tie with Mickey Mantle for 48th place on the all-time list. He's 5 for 7 in his last two games and tends to be a streaky hitter, so this would be an odd time for Manuel to give him a day off.

With his homer, Delgado sparked a five-run eighth inning that saw the Mets send 11 batters to the plate. It was New York's second-biggest inning of the season, just behind a six-run first in a 7-1 victory over Florida on April 27.

The Mets will try to continue their momentum with Sheffield (.158) and Tatis (.324) in the lineup. Church is certainly due for a break, going 4 for 34 in his last 11 games.

All-Star third baseman David Wright struggled Friday, going 0 for 4 after a 3 for 3 effort in a 7-5 win over Philadelphia on Thursday night. Wright is hitting .214 (3 for 14) against Maholm, who is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in five starts versus New York.

The left-hander has given up two runs or fewer in four of his six outings. He allowed two runs and six hits while striking out a season-high seven in 7 1-3 innings as Pittsburgh lost 7-4 to Milwaukee on Monday night.

New York, 3-0 on its eight-game homestand, will counter with John Maine (2-2, 5.20), who turned 28 on Friday. He seems to be settling down after a poor start, posting a 2.25 ERA en route to winning his last two outings.

The right-hander overcame a career-high six walks in his last start, surrendering three runs and three hits while striking out seven in six innings as New York beat Atlanta 6-4 on Monday night.

Maine is 2-2 with a 2.93 ERA in five starts versus the Pirates, who have lost 10 of 11 and have been terrible at the plate. Pittsburgh is batting .205 in its last nine games, managing just three homers during that stretch.

The Pirates have lost six straight on the road, hitting .167 with one homer during the last four contests.

"We've got to stay focused and keep plugging away," said Pittsburgh center fielder Nyjer Morgan, batting a team-high .375 away from PNC Park. "It's part of our learning situation."