Mets hoping to start a new streak

It's Johan Santana (8-5, 2.75) vs. the St. Louis Cardinals' Jamie Garcia (9-4, 2.21 ERA). On paper, it looks like a pitching duel. We said the same thing last night when Adam Wainwright went against Jon Niese. How'd that work out? 

Tonight could be another pitching classic. The last time there two pitchers went against each other the game went 20 innings. The Mets won, 2-1, by the way.

Santana and Garcia eached tossed seven innings of scoreless baseball. Could we see the same thing tonight? Maybe not 20 innings, but expect to see a low-scoring affair.

The Mets are 4-0 in Santana's last four starts, with him getting three wins in the process. Garcia has won three of his last four starts, including his last outing, a seven-inning, one-run effort in a 5-1 win over the Phillies. Yes, this will be a pitching matchup.

Offensively, the Mets broke out last night. Francoeur hit a three-run homer and Jose Reyes blasted a two-run shot. It's the first time since July 4 that the Mets scored more than six runs in a game. An optimist would say it could be the breakout game the Mets needed to get it going. But if you look at the glass half full, it's only one game.

Notes: Albert Pujols is in a bit of a slump. His average has dropped 13 points in July and he has just five home runs in that span...Francoeur's home run was certainly a relief. It was his first home run since June 27. The three RBIs were his first since July 4. Reyes hit his first homer since June 23. More importantly he has an eight-game hitting streak.