Tonight, the Mets and D-backs go at it for the second time in this series. The Mets are sending veteran Steven Trachsel to the mound to face Miguel Batista of the D-backs. The D-backs are a very slight favorite in this one and the under/over is 10. Last night the game was all about the Mets who scored 7 runs. The D-backs scored one lone run and were nowhere to be found. Hernandez was the winner for the Mets and Vargas got the loss for the D-backs.

The Mets are 6-4 over their last 10 games and have won 2 straight. They now have a 10-7 record against the West and a 17-12 record on the road. The last 10 games included a three game series with these same Diamondbacks. The Mets took two of three of those games on their home field. The lone loss was against Batista, tonight’s pitcher. They lost that game 7-2. Over the last 10 games the Mets are scoring 4.9 runs per game.

The Diamondbacks are 5-5 over their last ten games. They have a 7-7 record against the east and a home record of 17-13. Their last ten games included a series against the Mets as mentioned. They have the Mets, Braves and Phillies in their last 10, so it has been a tough set of ten games. They have lost 4 in a row now and hope to stop the bleeding tonight. Over their last 10 games, the Diamondbacks are scoring 4.3 runs per game. That average includes a wild game where they scored 13 runs. If that number is reduced to 4 runs (their average), the new average is 3.4 runs per game, which is more accurate.

Steve Trachsel has a 4.67 ERA and is pitching with a 4.05 ERA on the road. He has one start against the Diamondbacks this season, which was May 29th. He pitched 6 innings in that game and gave up 4 runs—including 2 home runs. If the season trends hold up, he should have a decent outing tonight. Look for him to go 6 innings and give up a couple of runs. He does not have an outing this year where the opposing team has double digits in the hits column. He is averaging 6 hits per game and about 5 2/3rds innings pitched.

Miguel Batista has a 4.12 ERA and is doing his worst pitching at home. His home ERA is 4.85. He is averaging 7.5 hits per game and 6 innings per start. He is also averaging 2.4 walks per game, bringing the total expected baserunners up to 10. He has a couple games where the opposing team has managed double digits in the hits column. He is averaging 3 runs per outing. Season trends predict him having an above-average allowance in runs (5-6). However, his start against these Mets in New York was a complete game effort. He allowed 9 hits, walked 1 and gave up one lone run—a homer. It might also be important to note that his two worst games, which have inflated his ERA, were against the same team—San Francisco.