Cincinnati Reds (48-36) @ New York Mets (46-37)
———	Citi Field

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Weather Forecast

Pitching Match-Up

Reds Lineup

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Mets Lineup

Team Leaders

Reds Injury Report

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Mets Injury Report

Tidbits of Interest

• David Wright – leads the National League and is third in the majors with 64 RBI…Wright has 42 RBI in his last 46 games dating back to May 15…He needs four RBI to tie Howard Johnson for third place on the club’s all-time list with 629…Wright has eight multi-hit games in his last nine contests…Over that span, he’s batting .475 (19-40) with 10 runs scored, three doubles, one triple, one home run and five RBI…Over his last 33 games dating back to May 30, Wright has 20 multi-hit performances…Wright’s next home run will move him into sole fourth place on the club’s all-time list with 155, one ahead of Dave Kingman.
• Recent – The Mets have lost seven of their last 12 games…The Mets are 26-14 (.650) in their last 40 contests, dating back to May 22, tied for the second-best winning percentage in the majors with the White Sox during that span…The Red Sox are first (27-13, .675)…The Mets have the fourth most wins (46) in the NL behind the Padres (49), Braves (48) and Reds (48).
• At Home & Road – The Mets have won 14 of their last 18 games at Citi Field…The Mets are 24-8 in their last 32 games at home and 28-13 overall…New York is tied for the third-best winning percentage (.683) at home with the Yankees…Atlanta is first (30-10, .750) and Detroit is second (28-12, .700)…The Mets are 14-5 during their last four homestands…The Mets are 18-24 on the road…The .429 winning percentage ranks 18th in the majors.
• RISP – The Mets were 3-9 last night with runners in scoring position…Over their last 12 games, New York leads the majors with a .351 (34-97) batting average with runners in scoring position…Since May 21, the Mets lead the majors with a .331 (123-372) batting average with runners in scoring position…Over those 39 games, the club has hit eight home runs and driven in 159 runs with runners in scoring position…Minnesota ranks second (.311) during that span…From the start of the year through May 20, the Mets hit .239 (88-368) with runners in scoring position, ranking 25th in the majors…The team also had five home runs and 130 RBI over those 42 games…Overall, the Mets are third in the majors with a .285 batting average with RISP…Angel Pagan is fourth in the majors with a .397 (25-63) batting average with runners in scoring position…Mets pitchers have held the opposition to a .232 (174-749) batting average with runners in scoring position, the fourth-lowest mark in the majors…The Mets are hitting .206 (20-97) with runners in scoring position after the seventh inning, which is the fourth-worst mark in the majors behind Arizona (.202), Colorado (.174) and Philadelphia (.139)…Mets pitchers have posted the third-lowest batting average (.200, 27-135) with runners in scoring position after the seventh inning.
• Mets Homers – Angel Pagan’s home run last night gave the Mets 67 home runs as a team through 83 games…New York is tied for 21st in the majors with 67 home runs…Last year, after 83 games New York had hit 50 home runs…The Mets have hit 36 home runs in 42 road games and have connected on 31 home runs in 41 home games this season…In 2009, the Mets had hit 26 home runs at home in their first 41 home games and 24 home runs in 42 road games…Mets pitchers have surrendered 71 home runs this year, ranking 17th in the majors…After 83 games in 2009, New York’s staff had allowed 77 home runs…The Mets have yielded 22 home runs at home, the fewest in the majors and have allowed 49 home runs on the road this year, the fourth-most in the majors…Ike Davis connected on his 10th home run of the year Sunday to become the third rookie in team history to reach double digits in home runs prior to the All-Star break…Ron Swoboda had 15 in 1965 and Benny Agbayani had 11 before the break in 1999…The team rookie record for a season is 26 by Darryl Strawberry in 1983.
• Pen Notes – The Mets pen is 10th in the majors with a 3.66 ERA…Also is 18th in the majors with a .254 batting average against…Is tied for eighth in the majors with 14 wins and is fourth in the majors with 17 losses…The pen is sixth in the major leagues with 261.0 innings pitched…New York relievers have fanned 244 batters, fourth most in the majors…They have also walked 127 batters, second most in the majors.
• Johan Santana – Is 3-0 with a 4.20 ERA (14 earned runs/30.0 innings) in five career starts against the Reds…Since becoming a full-time starter in 2004, Santana has never pitched in July with less than six wins on the season…He currently has five…Struck out seven and walked two in his last start and has a K/BB season mark of 2.09, his worst since 2001…His K/9 rate is 5.92, his lowest since 2001 (5.77)…His season-low for strikeouts is one, done three times (June 15th at Cleveland, June 10th vs. San Diego, May 2nd at Philadelphia)…Before this season, had only four starts overall and one with the Mets where he struck out one batter…The Mets have scored 41 runs while Santana has been on the mound this season, tied for the third-lowest amount among National League pitchers with at least 17 starts…The Astros have gotten Roy Oswalt 34 runs, while Pittsburgh has scored 39 times for Paul Maholm…Chicago’s Randy Wells has also received 41 runs…Over his past three starts, the Mets have scored one run for the lefthander…Over his last seven starts, Santana is 1-3 with a 3.40 ERA (18 earned runs/47.2 innings pitched)…Additionally, the Mets are just 1-6 as a team in those starts and have been shutout three times and scored one run twice…Despite this stretch, Santana’s .618 winning percentage as a member of the Mets (34-21) is the fifth-highest for any pitcher in his first 75 starts for the club…Santana trails Gooden (46-15, .754), David Cone (36-16, .692), Al Leiter (39-19, .672) and Ron Darling (30-18, .625).

This Date in Mets History

Rod Kanehl becomes the first Met to belt a grand slam on July 6, 1962 in a 10-3 victory over the Cardinals at the Polo Grounds…The milestone shot comes off Bobby Shantz…Gil Hodges also slugs his 370th career home run in that contest, passing Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner for the second most home runs by a righthanded hitter in baseball history…Tommie Agee hits for the cycle on July 6, 1970 at Shea…Agee is only the second Met to accomplish that feat…John Franco earns his 200th career save in a 2-1 victory at Philadelphia on July 6, 1991.

It's Willie Randolph birthday, born in 1954 ans it's also Lance Johnson born in 1963..

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Cincinnati Reds (47-36) @ New York Mets (46-36)
———	Citi Field

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Weather Forecast

Pitching Match-Up

Reds Lineup

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Mets Lineup

Team Leaders

Reds Injury Report

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Mets Injury Report

Tidbits of Interest

• Recent – The Mets have won two of their last three games…The Mets are 26-13 (.667) in their last 39 contests, dating back to May 22, the second-best winning perecentage in the majors during that span…The Red Sox are first (27-12, .692)…The Mets have the fourth most wins (46) in the NL behind the Padres (49), Braves (48) and Reds (47).
• At Home & Road – New York returns home after a 3-4 road trip…New York is 1-5 on road trips this season…The Mets have won 14 of their last 17 games at Citi Field…The Mets are 24-7 in their last 31 games at home and 28-12 overall…New York has the second-best winning percentage (.700) at home…Atlanta is first (30-10, .750)…The Mets are 14-4 during their last three homestands…The Mets are 18-24 on the road…The .429 winning percentage is tied for 17th in the majors with the Braves.
• Series – The Mets are 16-11 in the first game of a series, including 11-2 in the first game of a series at home…That mark is the best record in the majors in home series openers…San Francisco is second (11-3).
• The First – The Mets have scored at least one run (nine total) in the first inning in their last six games…The Mets are 38-15 when scoring first…The Mets have scored first a major league best 54 times…Colorado is second (53).
• RISP – The Mets were 7-16 yesterday with runners in scoring position…Since May 21, the Mets lead the majors with a .331 (120-363) batting average with runners in scoring position…Over those 38 games, the club has hit eight home runs and driven in 154 runs with runners in scoring position…Texas ranks second (.313) during that span…From the start of the year through May 20, the Mets hit .239 (88-368) with runners in scoring position, ranking 25th in the majors…The team also had five home runs and 130 RBI over those 42 games…Overall, the Mets are third in the majors with a .285 batting average with RISP…Angel Pagan is tied for fourth in the majors with a .397 (25-63) batting average with runners in scoring position…Mets pitchers have held the opposition to a .231 (171-739) batting average with runners in scoring position, the fourth-lowest mark in the majors…The Mets are hitting .202 (20-99) with runners in scoring position after the seventh inning which is the fourth-worst mark in the majors behind Arizona (.202), Colorado (.174) and Philadelphia (.139)…Mets pitchers have posted the third-lowest batting average (.200, 27-135) with runners in scoring after the seventh inning.
• Pen Notes – The Mets pen is 10th in the majors with a 3.68
  ERA…Also is 18th in the majors with a .255 batting average against…Is tied for eighth in the majors with 14 wins and is fourth in the majors with 17 losses…The pen is sixth in the major leagues with 256.2 innings pitched…New York relievers have fanned 241 batters, tied for fourth most in the majors…They have also walked 127 batters, second most in the majors.
• Mike Pelfrey – Is 3-1 with a 4.73 ERA in six games, five starts against the Reds….Is 8-0 with a 1.95 (16 earned runs/73.2 innings) ERA in 11 night starts this season…In comparison, Pelfrey is 2-2 with a 5.28 ERA (18 earned runs/30.2 innings) in six appearances, five starts during day games this season…For his career, his day record is 10-12 with a 5.26 ERA (98 earned runs/167.2 innings) while at night, the righthander is 28-22 with a 3.90 ERA (180 earned runs/415.2 innings)….is 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA in nine games, nine starts at home this season…Has allowed two home runs and the six wins are tied for fourth-most by any pitcher in his home ballpark this season….Is tied for fourth in the majors with 10 wins and ranks 10th in the National League with a 2.93 ERA…He is also tied for second in the majors with a .833 winning percentage…Pelfrey is 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA in nine starts at home this season…The six wins are tied for the fourth-most by any pitcher in his home ballpark this year.

This Date in Mets History

Cleon Jones, an outfielder from Plateau, Alabama, is signed by Mets scout Julian Morgan on July 5, 1962…Ron Swoboda smacks his 14th and 15th home runs of the year on July 5, 1965…The 15 home runs break Jim Hickman’s 1962 rookie home run mark.

It's Jeff Innis birthday, born in 1962.

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Cincinnati Red (47-36) @ New York Mets (46-36)
	Citi Field

Scouting Report:

REDS: Harang pitched a strong game opposite Roy Halladay and the Phillies on Wednesday, as his only real trouble came against the bottom of the order with a Dane Sardinha three-run home run. His 5.02 ERA is the lowest it has been since his second start of the year.

METS: Relying on what pitching coach Dan Warthen called horrible pitch sequences, Pelfrey gave up a career-high 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Marlins on Wednesday. Though he escaped with a no-decision, he'll need to improve against a Reds team he beat last.

Scouting Report:

REDS: Wood didn't pick up a win in his Major League debut on Friday at Chicago, but he pitched seven-plus innings and took a two-hit shutout into the eighth. He said he treated the start like any other, but it may be tough to do the same against Johan Santana.

METS: Featuring a low-90s fastball and perhaps his best changeup of the season, Santana fired seven effective innings against the Nationals — but manager Jerry Manuel removed him after only 97 pitches. He'll look to go deeper against the Reds, whom he shut out last year.

Scouting Report:

Reds: Arroyo found himself in an odd situation Saturday at Wrigley Field, as he was pulled after tossing six scoreless innings and 89 pitches. But he wasn't complaining, as he got some rest after a nine-run, 35-minute top of the seventh propelled the Reds to a victory.

METS: With his curveball and cutter both working against the Nats, Niese won his fifth consecutive decision since returning from the disabled list last month. He'll look to make it six straight against the Reds, who tagged him for a career-high 12 hits earlier this season.

Team Leaders

Reds Injury Report

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Mets Injury Report

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	New York Mets (45-35) @ Washington Nationals (34-46)
Nationals Park	———

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Weather Forecast

Pitching Match-Up

Mets Lineup

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Nationals Lineup

Team Leaders

Mets Injury Report

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Nationals Injury Report

Tidbits of Interest

• The Half – The Mets will play their 81st game of the year today…New York is 45-35 entering today…Below is a chart of the club’s record at the season’s midway point over the last six years.
  

  2009	39-42
  2008	40-41
  2007	46-35
  2006	48-33
  2005	40-41
  2004	40-41

• Recent – The Mets have won two of their last three games…Overall, the Mets have won 18 of their last 26 games and 19 of their last 28…The Mets are 25-12 (.676) in their last 37 contests, dating back to May 22, the second-best winning percentage in the majors during that span…The Red Sox are first (26-11, .703)…The Mets have the fourth most wins in the NL behind the Braves and Padres, who each have 47 victories, and the Reds (46).
• On the Road – The Mets have won two of their last three games on the road after losing three of four away from Citi Field…Overall, the Mets are 17-23 on the road…The .425 winning percentage ranks 18th in the majors.
• First Inning – The Mets have scored at least one run (six total) in the first inning in their last four games…The Mets are 37-14 when scoring first.
• Triples – Alex Cora collected his second triple of the year, clearing the bases, last night…It was Cora’s first three RBI game since April 29, 2007 when he accomplished the feat with the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium…The Mets are second in the majors with 22 triples… Washington is third (21)…Colorado is first with 25…Jose Reyes is tied for third in the majors with six triples while Jason Bay and Angel Pagan are tied for sixth in the majors with five triples.
• RISP – The Mets were 2-10 last night with runners in scoring position…Since May 21, the Mets lead the majors with a .325 (109-335) batting average with runners in scoring position…Over those 36 games, the club has hit seven home runs and driven in 139 runs with runners in scoring position…From the start of the year through May 20, the Mets hit .239 (88-368) with runners in scoring position, ranking 25th in the majors…The team also had five home runs and 130 RBI over those 42 games…Overall, the Mets are seventh in the majors with a .280 batting average with RISP…Angel Pagan ranks seventh in the National League with a .377 batting average with runners in scoring position…Mets pitchers have held the opposition to a .228 (162-712) batting average with runners in scoring position, the third-lowest mark in the majors, behind the Giants (.219) and Rays (.215).
• R. A. Dickey – Is 0-1 with a 8.38 ERA (nine earned runs/9.2 innings) in three games, two starts…Faced the Nationals earlier this season on May 19th in his Mets debut and received a no-decision…Before suffering a loss in his last start vs. Florida in San Juan, Puerto Rico on June 28, R.A. Dickey became the first pitcher in team history to go 6-0 in his first seven starts…Prior to Dickey, three pitchers had gone 4-0 in their first five starts (Ray Sadecki, 1970; Harry Parker, 1973; and Terry Leach, who did it over a four-year span, 1982-1985)…No one other than Dickey went 5-0 in their first six starts…Dickey has allowed two home runs this season in 51.1 innings pitched, good for a home run per nine innings rate of 0.35…That is by far the best mark of his career and is sixth in the major leagues among pitchers with at least 50.0 innings.
• Pen Notes – The Mets pen is 10th in the majors with a 3.55 ERA…Also is 15th in the majors with a .250 batting average against…Is tied for seventh in the majors with 14 wins and is fourth in the majors with 16 losses…The pen is sixth in the major leagues with 251.1 innings pitched…New York relievers have fanned 234 batters, fifth most in the majors…They have also walked 123 batters, third most in the majors.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets allow a then club record 19 runs as Bob Bailey’s grand slam is the key blow in a 19-8 loss to the Expos on July 3, 1973…Frank Viola hurls a five-hit, 12-0 shutout over the Astros on July 3, 1990…Alex Ochoa hits for the cycle on July 3, 1996 in a 10-6 victory over Philadelphia.

It's Frank Tanana birthday and he was born in 1953. It's also Danny Heep in 1957 and Moises Alou born in 1966.

New York Mets traded John Hudek to the Cincinnati Reds for Lenny Harris on July 3, 1998…Cincinnati Reds claimed Andy Phillips of the New York Mets on waivers on July 3, 2008.
 

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	New York Mets (44-35) @ Washington Nationals (34-45)
Nationals Park	———

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Weather Forecast

Pitching Match-Up

Mets Lineup

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Nationals Lineup

Team Leaders

Mets Injury Report

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Nationals Injury Report

Tidbits of Interest

• Grand Game – Jason Bay has played in 999 major league games…With his next game, he will become the 13th Canadian-born player to appear in 1,000 games joining Larry Walker, Matt Stairs, Terry Puhl, Jack Graney, Jeff Heath, George Wood, George Gibson, Frank O’Rourke, Charles Smith, James O’Neill, Bill Phillips and Arthur Irwin.
• Recent – The Mets have lost five of their last eight games…Overall, the Mets have won 17 of their last 25 games and 18 of their last 27…The Mets are 24-12 (.667) in their last 36 contests, dating back to May 22, the third-best winning perecentage in the majors during that span…The Red Sox are first (25-11, .694) and the Angels are second (25-12, .676)…The Mets have the fourth most wins in the NL behind the Braves and Padres, who each have 46 victories, and the Reds (45).
• Series Notes – The Mets are 6-4 in the second game of a series after losing the first game…New York is 4-4 in such games on the road…The Mets are now 16-11 in the first game of a series, including 5-9 in the first game of a series on the road.
• On the Road – The Mets have lost five of their last six road games…Prior to this skid, the Mets had won seven straight road contests …Overall, the Mets are 16-23 away from Citi Field…The .410 winning percentage ranks 19th in the majors.
• RISP – The Mets were 1-3 last night with runners in scoring position…Since May 21, the Mets lead the majors with a .329 (107-325) batting average with runners in scoring position…Over those 35 games, the club has hit seven home runs and driven in 135 runs with runners in scoring position…From the start of the year through May 20, the Mets hit .239 (88-368) with runners in scoring position, ranking 25th in the majors…The team also had five home runs and 130 RBI over those 42 games…Overall, the Mets are sixth in the majors with a .281 batting average with RISP…Angel Pagan ranks seventh in the National League with a .383 batting average with runners in scoring position…Mets pitchers have held the opposition to a .226 (160-708) batting average with runners in scoring position, the third-lowest mark in the majors, behind the Giants (.218) and Rays (.215).
• Jon Niese – Has made only one start against the Nationals, going 4.1 innings and allowing six hits and six runs, earned on May 11, 2010…Received a no-decision in the 8-6 win…Since returning from the 15-Day Disabled List prior to his start on June 5, he is 4-0 with a 2.67 ERA (10 earned run/33.2 innings) in five games…Niese has won four consecutive decisions to put together the longest winning streak of his career and he became the first Mets rookie to win three consecutive starts while pitching at least 7.0 innings in each game since Jae Seo in 2003 (May 31-June 11)…Niese finished June with four wins, tied for third-most in the major leagues…His 2.67 ERA (10 earned runs/33.2 innings) was good for 13th in the National League, while he was one of eight qualifying pitchers (minimum four decisions) to go unbeaten during the month…Niese is 2-1 this year following a Mets loss.
• Pen Notes – The Mets pen is 10th in the majors with a 3.50 ERA…Also is 14th in the majors with a .249 batting average against…Is tied for seventh in the majors with 14 wins and is fourth in the majors with 16 losses…The pen is sixth in the major leagues with 249.1 innings pitched…New York relievers have fanned 233 batters, fifth most in the majors…They have also walked 122 batters, third most in the majors.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets beat Juan Marichal and the Giants, 5-2, at San Francisco on June 2, 1971…Charlie Williams earns his first major league victory in that contest…Eddie Murray slugs a grand slam in a 4-3 victory vs. San Francisco on June 2, 1992…New York travels to Tampa Bay for the first time in club history and edges the Devil Rays, 5-3, on June 2, 2000.

It's Hal Reniff birthday and he was born in 1938. It's also Tim Spehr in 1966 and Angel Pagan born in 1981

New York Mets selected Duffy Dyer in seventh round of free agent draft on July 2, 1966…New York Mets signed free agent Fernando Martinez of the New York Yankees on July 2, 2005…New York Mets signed free agent Andy Green on July 2, 2008.
 

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