Nymet31
08-29-2003, 01:30 PM
ATLANTA -- After winning five of their last seven games of a nine-game road trip, the Mets come home to host the Wild-Card contending Philadelphia Phillies. So far in August New York is 15-9.
Steve Trachsel, in search of his team-high 14th win of the season, takes on Kevin Millwood.
Trachsel (13-7, 4.07), this week's National League Player of the Week, and is working on a shutout streak of 16.1 innings. He's 2-1 on the season against the Phillies, with a 6.58 ERA (10 ER in 13.2 IP) and beat Philly 7-5 the last time he faced them on July 22 (5.1 IP, 3ER) at the Vet. His previous outing against the Phillies at Shea was a different story, as he lasted only 1.2 IP, allowing seven earned runs.
Millwood will be making his third start of the season against the Mets and his first at Shea. Based on his two starts at home, he'll welcome the change of scenery. Millwood is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA (8 ER, and 14 H in 10.2 IP) and the Mets are hitting a hefty .326 against him. The last time he saw the Mets, he lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs and seven hits and throwing 99 pitches. For his career, Millwood is 3-2 with a 3.72 ERA (23 ER in 55.2 IP) at Shea.
Friday night's game kicks off Philly's last visit to Queens, where the Mets are 3-4 (New York holds an overall 7-5 lead in the series), and begins a stretch where 26 of their final 29 games are against teams in playoff contention.
Pitching matchup:
PHI: RHP Kevin Millwood
12-9, 3.80 in 2003
0-2, 6.75 in 2003 vs. NYM
5-5, 3.88 vs. NYM lifetime
NYM: RHP Steve Trachsel
13-7, 4.01 in 2003
2-1, 6.59 in 2003 vs. PHI
8-6, 3.79 vs. PHI lifetime
Players to watch: Timo Perez is hitting .389 (7-for-18) lifetime against Kevin Millwood, with a double and a triple. ... Ty Wigginton is 4-for-11 (.364), including three doubles and has a .636 slugging average. ... Mike Piazza has struggled against Millwood (7-for-36, a .194 average), but is hitting .353 (6-for-17) against closer Mike Williams, with an .882 slugging average including two homers. ... Steve Trachsel has shut down Phillies sparkplug Jimmy Rollins, holding him to a .185 average (5-for-27).
Quotable: "He's just having a ball out there. It's just whether he's going to be a star or a superstar." -- Al Leiter on Jose Reyes
Quick hits:
David Weathers has not allowed a run in his last six appearances, covering 7 1/3 innings. He's allowed only three hits in that span.
Reyes became the 14th Met to hit homers from both sides of the plate in the same game. Tony Clark last accomplished the feat Aug. 2 against St. Louis.
The Mets took two of three from Atlanta, winning a series at Turner Field for the first time since April 5-7 last season. They finished 3-7 in Atlanta this season.
Steve Trachsel, in search of his team-high 14th win of the season, takes on Kevin Millwood.
Trachsel (13-7, 4.07), this week's National League Player of the Week, and is working on a shutout streak of 16.1 innings. He's 2-1 on the season against the Phillies, with a 6.58 ERA (10 ER in 13.2 IP) and beat Philly 7-5 the last time he faced them on July 22 (5.1 IP, 3ER) at the Vet. His previous outing against the Phillies at Shea was a different story, as he lasted only 1.2 IP, allowing seven earned runs.
Millwood will be making his third start of the season against the Mets and his first at Shea. Based on his two starts at home, he'll welcome the change of scenery. Millwood is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA (8 ER, and 14 H in 10.2 IP) and the Mets are hitting a hefty .326 against him. The last time he saw the Mets, he lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs and seven hits and throwing 99 pitches. For his career, Millwood is 3-2 with a 3.72 ERA (23 ER in 55.2 IP) at Shea.
Friday night's game kicks off Philly's last visit to Queens, where the Mets are 3-4 (New York holds an overall 7-5 lead in the series), and begins a stretch where 26 of their final 29 games are against teams in playoff contention.
Pitching matchup:
PHI: RHP Kevin Millwood
12-9, 3.80 in 2003
0-2, 6.75 in 2003 vs. NYM
5-5, 3.88 vs. NYM lifetime
NYM: RHP Steve Trachsel
13-7, 4.01 in 2003
2-1, 6.59 in 2003 vs. PHI
8-6, 3.79 vs. PHI lifetime
Players to watch: Timo Perez is hitting .389 (7-for-18) lifetime against Kevin Millwood, with a double and a triple. ... Ty Wigginton is 4-for-11 (.364), including three doubles and has a .636 slugging average. ... Mike Piazza has struggled against Millwood (7-for-36, a .194 average), but is hitting .353 (6-for-17) against closer Mike Williams, with an .882 slugging average including two homers. ... Steve Trachsel has shut down Phillies sparkplug Jimmy Rollins, holding him to a .185 average (5-for-27).
Quotable: "He's just having a ball out there. It's just whether he's going to be a star or a superstar." -- Al Leiter on Jose Reyes
Quick hits:
David Weathers has not allowed a run in his last six appearances, covering 7 1/3 innings. He's allowed only three hits in that span.
Reyes became the 14th Met to hit homers from both sides of the plate in the same game. Tony Clark last accomplished the feat Aug. 2 against St. Louis.
The Mets took two of three from Atlanta, winning a series at Turner Field for the first time since April 5-7 last season. They finished 3-7 in Atlanta this season.