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Mets-Red Sox Preview

May 22, 2009 - 5:02 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

New York (21-19) at Boston (24-16), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Sweeping the first-place team in the AL East has moved the Boston Red Sox within one game of the top spot. They hope Daisuke Matsuzaka's return can help them get atop the division.

Matsuzaka will return to the mound for his first start in five weeks Friday night, when he starts opposite Johan Santana in the opener of a three-game interleague series between the Red Sox and the struggling New York Mets at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox (25-16) completed a three-game series sweep of East-leading Toronto on Wednesday with a 5-1 victory. That winning streak has put them one-half game behind the Blue Jays for first place.

Boston is expected to activate Matsuzaka (0-1, 12.79 ERA) from the disabled list in order for him to make his first start against the Mets. The right-hander has been on the DL with right arm fatigue since April 15, one day after he was tagged for five runs and five hits in one inning of a 6-5, 12-inning loss at Oakland.

Matsuzaka wasn't very effective in his only other start of the season either, allowing four runs and nine hits, including three homers, in 5 1-3 innings of a 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay.

He showed improvement during three rehabilitation starts with Triple-A Pawtucket, going 0-1 with a 1.54 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 11 2-3 innings.

The Red Sox went 11-7 in interleague play last season, including six wins in nine games at Fenway. They're 10-8 all-time against the Mets (21-19), sweeping a three-game series in the last meeting June 27-29, 2006.

Boston, though, will have to contend with Santana (5-2, 1.36), owner of the lowest ERA in the NL and ranking among baseball's leaders with 67 strikeouts.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner, however, is coming off his worst performance of the season. He allowed season highs of six runs - four earned - and 11 hits while striking out seven in seven innings as the Mets (21-19) won 9-6 at San Francisco on Saturday.

That's also the last time New York won, as the club has dropped a season high-tying four games in a row after falling 2-1 at Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The Mets, who went 9-6 against the AL last year, are batting .218 with six runs during the slide after averaging 6.2 runs and batting .312 in winning 11 of the previous 13.

New York's struggles has dropped it to 3-4 during a 10-game trip

"We knew at the start of this trip that it would be a tough one and would be a big test for us," Mets third baseman David Wright said. "We started out good, but then we struggled. But we can't feel sorry for ourselves."

Santana hopes the Mets can revive their bats and help him again after scoring seven runs of support in his last outing. The ace received 11 runs combined in his previous seven starts as he went 4-2 with a 0.78 ERA.

He hasn't fared well at Fenway, going 1-3 with a 6.89 ERA in three starts and four total appearances, but has not pitched there since 2006 while with the Minnesota Twins.

New York will likely be without Jose Reyes for a sixth time in seven games due to tendinitis in his right calf. The shortstop aggravated the injury running out a ground ball in the third inning Wednesday, and was removed from the contest.

He could be replaced by Ramon Martinez, who is hitless in 12 at-bats over the last three games.