Detroit Vs. New York 6-29-11
A grand offensive surge has the New York Mets finally above .500.
Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes will likely play key parts trying to keep the Mets there as they face the Tigers in the middle game of this series Wednesday night.
New York (40-39), which has won five of six, has a winning record for the first time since the team was 3-2 on April 6, and the club has the offense partly to thank.
The Mets are hitting .389 while outscoring opponents 36-13 during a three-game winning streak.
They flexed their offensive muscle again in Tuesday's 14-3 win at Detroit (43-37). Beltran and Jason Bay each connected for grand slams to pace an 18-hit attack, with Bay's shot ending a franchise-record 299 games without a slam.
"Sometimes in this game, there's things that take a while to happen," Beltran said. "We were able to hit two. No explanation for it."
Beltran is putting together a strong stretch at the plate, going 6 for 14 with nine RBIs during the winning streak after an 0-for-14 slump over the previous four contests.
He's batting .340 with 14 RBIs over his last 12 road games, raising his season average away from New York 41 points to .257.
Reyes, the NL leader with a .349 average, continues to be the Mets' catalyst and came a home run short of the cycle Tuesday while going 4 for 4. He's 14 for 28 with 10 runs, three triples and one double the last six games.
Chris Capuano (6-7, 3.99 ERA) is scheduled to make his turn in the rotation after abdominal cramps ended his most recent outing prematurely.
The left-hander was dazzling through six scoreless innings Thursday, scattering five hits and striking out seven before being forced to exit the 4-1 win over Oakland.
"I felt it warming up in the bullpen," said Capuano, who hasn't allowed a first-inning run in each of his 14 starts. "Just a little crampy. Not real sharp. Like a little dull ache."
Capuano has been sharp recently, winning three of four starts behind a 1.08 ERA. However, he's 1-3 with an 8.17 ERA in five career interleague starts on the road.
He beat the Tigers in his lone meeting on June 21, 2006, allowing three runs in seven innings of a 4-3 victory with Milwaukee.
Detroit could use some improvement from its rotation, which has a 5.70 ERA and a .304 opponents' batting average during a 6-7 run.
Phil Coke (1-7, 4.32) takes the mound looking to redeem himself after blowing a four-run, fourth-inning lead in a 7-6 loss to Arizona on Friday. The left-hander tossed three scoreless innings before giving up six runs in the next two, getting pulled with two outs in the fifth.
"I'm ashamed of myself for letting that get away the way I did," Coke told the team's official website.
"Of course I'm frustrated, man," he said. "I got out there, they give me a lead and I let it slip away. Of course I'm frustrated. I feel terrible. The best way I can describe it right now."
Those frustrations may also stem from Coke's 11-start winless drought. He is 0-5 with a 4.89 ERA since beating the Athletics on April 14.
Coke has no record in four relief appearances versus the Mets, throwing three scoreless innings.
The Tigers were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position in the series opener.
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