New York Mets vs Florida Marlinsm Live 23.5.2011. With David Wright back in the lineup, the New York Mets hope to make some noise in the final months of the season.
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Following a big night in his return from the disabled list, Wright hopes to lead the Mets to a fourth consecutive road win over the Florida Marlins on Saturday night.
After missing more than two months with a back injury, Wright had a pair of RBI doubles and scored two runs in New York's 7-6 win Friday.
"It's good to play the game and have fun doing it," said Wright, who is hitting a career-low .232. "Hopefully I can come in and provide a boost to the offense."
Though the Mets (50-49) are 12 1/2 games behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East and 8 1/2 back of wild card-leader Atlanta, they're optimistic they can play well down the stretch with or without star Carlos Beltran, who remains the subject of constant trade rumors. A productive Wright in the lineup could boost their chances for a run at a playoff spot.
"He's a huge part of this team," manager Terry Collins said. "To have him come back and contribute right out of the gate is a huge lift."
While Wright has struggled overall at the plate, the five-time All-Star is batting .458 with five homers and 13 RBIs his last 14 games versus Florida.
Jose Reyes had two hits Friday and remains atop the majors with a .349 batting average. Beltran, who added an RBI, has hit .346 with 18 RBIs his last 20 games.
The Mets have turned things around in Miami, averaging 7.3 runs during a three-game winning streak that followed a stretch where they averaged 4.0 runs while losing nine of 10 there.
New York's Chris Capuano (8-9, 4.16 ERA) takes the mound against the Marlins for the second time this week after he allowed four runs in 7 2/3 innings of a 4-1 loss Monday that dropped his record to 4-3 with a 3.24 ERA in nine starts versus Florida.
In his first start since July 2008, scheduled Marlins' starter Clay Hensley (1-2, 2.70) yielded one hit in five innings to beat Capuano. It was his first action since missing more than a month with a sprained right shoulder.
Hensley, who has made 20 relief appearances in 2011, is 14-15 with a 4.26 ERA in 41 career starts.
"It's definitely a different beast than coming out of the bullpen and I haven't done it in a while," said Hensley, 2-1 with a 4.41 ERA as a starter versus New York. "I kind of settled in and relaxed a little bit more."
The Marlins (47-53) have dropped four straight at home since that victory over the Mets. Florida, which has been outscored 12-1 in the first inning in the first four of this six-game homestand, had won nine of 10 prior to the losing streak.
Emilio Bonifacio extended his career-best hitting streak to 21 games -- the longest active streak in the majors -- Friday. Batting .380 during the streak, Bonifacio has hit .412 (7 for 17) against the Mets this season.
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Following a big night in his return from the disabled list, Wright hopes to lead the Mets to a fourth consecutive road win over the Florida Marlins on Saturday night.
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Seattle at Boston 7:10 PM StubHub Beavan vs Beckett
Tampa Bay at Kansas City 7:10 PM StubHub Niemann vs Francis
NY Mets at Florida 7:10 PM StubHub Capuano vs Hensley
Toronto at Texas 8:05 PM StubHub Villanueva vs Harrison
Colorado at Arizona 8:10 PM StubHub Hammel vs Collmenter
Milwaukee at San Francisco 9:05 PM StubHub Wolf vs Vogelsong
Washington at LA Dodgers 10:10 PM StubHub Gorzelanny vs Lilly
"It's good to play the game and have fun doing it," said Wright, who is hitting a career-low .232. "Hopefully I can come in and provide a boost to the offense."
Though the Mets (50-49) are 12 1/2 games behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East and 8 1/2 back of wild card-leader Atlanta, they're optimistic they can play well down the stretch with or without star Carlos Beltran, who remains the subject of constant trade rumors. A productive Wright in the lineup could boost their chances for a run at a playoff spot.
"He's a huge part of this team," manager Terry Collins said. "To have him come back and contribute right out of the gate is a huge lift."
While Wright has struggled overall at the plate, the five-time All-Star is batting .458 with five homers and 13 RBIs his last 14 games versus Florida.
Jose Reyes had two hits Friday and remains atop the majors with a .349 batting average. Beltran, who added an RBI, has hit .346 with 18 RBIs his last 20 games.
The Mets have turned things around in Miami, averaging 7.3 runs during a three-game winning streak that followed a stretch where they averaged 4.0 runs while losing nine of 10 there.
New York's Chris Capuano (8-9, 4.16 ERA) takes the mound against the Marlins for the second time this week after he allowed four runs in 7 2/3 innings of a 4-1 loss Monday that dropped his record to 4-3 with a 3.24 ERA in nine starts versus Florida.
In his first start since July 2008, scheduled Marlins' starter Clay Hensley (1-2, 2.70) yielded one hit in five innings to beat Capuano. It was his first action since missing more than a month with a sprained right shoulder.
Hensley, who has made 20 relief appearances in 2011, is 14-15 with a 4.26 ERA in 41 career starts.
"It's definitely a different beast than coming out of the bullpen and I haven't done it in a while," said Hensley, 2-1 with a 4.41 ERA as a starter versus New York. "I kind of settled in and relaxed a little bit more."
The Marlins (47-53) have dropped four straight at home since that victory over the Mets. Florida, which has been outscored 12-1 in the first inning in the first four of this six-game homestand, had won nine of 10 prior to the losing streak.
Emilio Bonifacio extended his career-best hitting streak to 21 games -- the longest active streak in the majors -- Friday. Batting .380 during the streak, Bonifacio has hit .412 (7 for 17) against the Mets this season.
