Mets vs. Phillies Preview, Lineups, And Broadcast Info: Game #148 — Matt Harvey vs. Cole Hamels

Today's game notes, courtesy of @Mets.

Teams: Mets vs. Phillies
Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 • 7:10 p.m
Location: Citi Field • Flushing, NY
Starters: LHP Cole Hamels (15-6, 3.06) vs. RHP Matt Harvey (3-5, 2.92)
TV/Radio: SNY • WFAN • WQBU
Info: Game #148 • Home Game #73

Lineup

Ruben Tejada - SS
Daniel Murphy - 2B
David Wright - 3B
Scott Hairston - RF
Ike Davis - 1B
Kelly Shoppach - C
Lucas Duda - LF
Andres Torres - CF
Matt Harvey - RHP

METS AT A GLANCE: The Mets have lost nine of their last 10 games ...New York is a season-high 15 games under .500...The last time the team was 15 or more games under .500 was the final game of the 2009 season (70-92).

THURSDAY NIGHT: Tickets from last night’s game (marked "Tuesday, September 18 – Game 73") will be honored for tomorrow night’s makeup game...Fans who cannot attend the makeup game this Thursday night vs. Philadelphia are encouraged to follow the standard rain-check ticket exchange policy on Mets.com.

AT HOME: The Mets are 0-1 on their current 10-game homestand and have dropped seven straight home games and 23 of its last 27 home contests...The Mets have won one second-half series at home (August 24-26 vs. Houston)...New York is 1-7 in home series in the second half...Daniel Murphy has the seventh-best home batting average (.326) in the National League.

SECOND HALF: The Mets have been outscored 129-58 in the second half of the season at home...By contrast, New York has been outscored 144-143 on the road after the All-Star break...The Mets are 4-22 at home in the second half and 16-19 on the road (20-41 overall)...New York’s pitching staff has posted a 4.44 ERA (118 ER/239.0 IP) at home since the break and a 4.11 ERA (137 ER/299.2 IP) on the road during that period.

THREE RUNS OR LESS: The Mets have scored three runs or less in 14 consecutive home games, a franchise record…The previous record was 11 games, done twice, September 11-22, 1979 and September 6, 1966- April 13, 1967...The last time New York scored more than four runs at home was August 12 in a 6-5 win over Atlanta...The Seattle Mariners were the last team to go 14 or more home games without scoring four or more runs when they went 16 straight home games in 2010.

HIT COUNTDOWN: David Wright went 1-4 Monday...He has 1,412 career hits, SIX shy of tying Ed Kranepool for the most in franchise history...Kranepool played in 1,853 games...Wright has played in 1,248 career contests...Three active players lead their current club’s all-time hit li st...The Yankees’ Derek Jeter (3,287 hits), Colorado’s Todd Helton (2,420) and Texas’ Michael Young (2,213).

WRIGHT RANKINGS: David Wright is fifth in the majors with a .397 on-base percentage, tied for sixth with 40 doubles and is sixth in the National League with a .310 batting average...He ranks second in the NL with 78 walks...Wright is tied for the NL lead with 16 intentional walks.

DANIEL MURPHY: Is hitting .380 (19-50) with four doubles, two home runs and seven RBI in September...His .380 average is the second-best in the NL this month...Murphy is one double shy of tying his career-high (38) in 2010.

RISP TALE OF TWO HALVES: The Mets were 1-7 Monday with runners in scoring position and are hitting .197 (93-471) with runners in scoring position since the All-Star break…In the first half, the team hit .269 (199- 739) with RISP...Overall, the Mets are hitting .242 with RISP on the season, ranking 21st in the majors...The Mets are hitting .256 with runners in scoring position and two outs, the fourth-highest average in the majors...The club hit .285 with RISP and two outs in the first half.

TWO-OUT RUNS: The Mets have scored 74 two-out runs in 62 games (1.19 runs per game) in the second half this season after leading the majors with 187 two-out runs in the first half (86 games - 2.17 runs per game)...Overall, New York is tied for ninth in the majors with 261 twoout runs.

MATT HARVEY NOTES: Became the third pitcher in Mets history to strike out at least 10 hitters, but pitch no more than 5.0 innings in a game last Wednesday vs. Washington...The other two were Sid Fernandez in 1986 and Oliver Perez in 2006...Harvey’s 63 strikeouts are third-most in Mets history for a pitcher within the first nine games of his career.

R.A. DICKEY: Leads the National League with a 2.67 ERA (second in the majors) and is tied for second in the majors with 18 wins, one behind Gio Gonzalez...Dickey is second in the NL with 205 strikeouts...Dickey also leads the NL in complete games (five), shutouts (three) and innings pitched (212.0)...He is third in the majors with a 1.04 WHIP and third in the NL with a .223 batting average against.

STRIKEOUTS: Dickey reached the 200 strikeout plateau Monday and finished with 205 strikeouts...At age 37, 324 days, he became the fourth pitcher since 1900 to record his first 200-strikeout season after his 37th birthday...The others are: Charlie Hough in 1987 (age 39 years, 254 days when he registered his 200th strikeout), Phil Niekro in 1977 (38 years, 144 days) and Cy Young in 1904 (37 years, 193 days)...Research courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau...Over the last 20 years, only four other Mets pitchers have reached 200 strikeouts in a season...David Cone (214 in 1992), Al Leiter (200 in 2000), Pedro Martinez (208 in 2005) and Johan Santana (206 in 2008).

JOSH EDGIN: Has not allowed an earned run in his last 16 appearances dating back to August 19...During that time, he’s tossed 11.0 innings, surrendered five hits, three walks and fanned six...Edgin has stranded 16 of 20 inherited runners.

BRANCH RICKEY AWARD WINNER: R.A. Dickey has been named the 2012 Branch Rickey Award recipient...He will be presented with his award on November 10 in Denver...Created by the Rotary Club of Denver in 1991, the Branch Rickey Award honors individuals in baseball who contribute unselfishly to their communities and who are strong role models for young people.

ROBERTO CLEMENTE AWARD NOMINEE: The Mets have nominated Johan Santana for the 2012 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet...Through the Johan Santana Foundation, the pitcher funds worthy programs that focus on education and healthcare in his hometown of Tovar, Venezuela and in New York...The Foundation distributes more than 40,000 toys to children in Tovar during the annual celebration of El Cyonzao and is building a baseball complex for the community to enjoy...In May, the Foundation donated $10,000 to Tuesdays Children to launch a new program for Spanish-speaking members of the September 11 community.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS NIGHT: The Mets will host Breast Cancer Awareness Night tonight...Special $5 tickets are available at Mets.com/BCA. The first 10,000 fans in attendance wil l receive a pink compact mirror presented by Delta Air Lines...Mets staff at Citi Field will also wear pink ribbons to raise awareness about the disease and encourages fans coming to the ballpark to wear pink...1-800- FLOWERS.COM will provide pink flowers to the 500 survivors and supporters who will be honored during a special pre-game presentation.

LAST START: Took his fifth loss of the season in the Mets’ 2-0 defeat to the Washington Nationals on September 12...Pitched 5.0 innings, allowing one run, earned, five hits (one hom e run), and three walks...Struck out 10...Harvey has pitched at least 5.0 innings in all nine of his starts this season...The home run allowed was the first home run Harvey had surrendered since August 10.

LAST SIX STARTS: Over his last six starts dating to August 10 vs. Atla nta, Harvey is 2-3 with a 2.50 ERA (10 earned runs/36.0 innings pitched)...Has held hitters to a .206 batting average d uring that span...Furthermore, has held righties to a .169 (11-65) batting average...Has recorded 40 strikeouts in those 36.0 innings...Allowed only two home runs in those six starts...Has allowed more than three earned runs only once in his nine starts this season.

DOUBLE-DIGIT STRIKEOUTS: In his last start on September 12 Harvey stru ck out 10 Nationals, his second double-digit strikeout game of the season...The last Mets rookie to have at leas t two double-digit strikeout games in his first nine games was Dwight Gooden who had four double-digit strikeout ga mes in his first nine games, in 1984...Yu Darvish accomplished the feat this season..Harvey struck out 11 in his major league debut on July 26 at Arizona.

ROOKIE STRIKEOUTS: His 18 strikeouts set a franchise record for most s trikeouts by a pitcher after his first two major league games...According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only three other active pitchers struck out at least 18 batters in their first two major league games: Stephen Strasburg (22), Tim Hudson (19) and Johnny Cueto (18)...Has a K/9 this season of 10.8.

MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY: Made major league history on July 25 by becoming the first player in the modern era (since 1900) to throw 10 or more strikeouts and have at least two hit s in his major league debut... Research courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.

50TH STRIKEOUT: Harvey struck out his 50th batter in his start at St. Louis on September 4 in his 176th batter faced...It was the fourth-quickest in team history to reach 50 strikeouts behind Pedro Martinez (148), Nolan Ryan (156) and Dwight Gooden (166)...Harvey has five or more strikeouts in seven of his nine starts.

LEFT/RIGHT SPLITS: Harvey has held right-handed hitters to a .195 aver age (17-87) this season, and has surrendered only one home run to a righty...Lefties have hit .233 (24-103) with three home runs...Since Harvey made his debut on July 26 at Arizona, his opponents batting average of .195 (17- 87) ranks 10th in the majors and sixth in the NL...Chad Billingsley’s (LaD) .134 opponent batting average lea ds the NL since that date.

STRIKEOUTS: Harvey’s 11 strikeouts were the most in franchise history for a pitcher making his major league debut...The previous record of eight strikeouts was held by Tom Seaver, April 13, 1967 vs. Pittsburgh and Bill Denehy, April 16, 1967 at Philadelphia...His 11 strikeou ts were tied for the eighth-most since 1900 for a pitcher making his major league debut. more harvey: Walked one in his start on August 15 at Cincinnati, after issuing a season-high five base-on-balls in start vs. Atlanta on August 10, and has issued 23 base-on-balls through the first nine starts of his career...Has allowed two earned runs or less in sevn of his nine starts.

THE REST OF THE STORY: Harvey is the fourth pitcher since 1960 to stri ke out 11 or more batters without allowing a run in his major league debut, joining Milwaukee's St eve Woodard (July 28, 1997), Cleveland's Luis Tiant (July 19, 1964) and San Francisco's Juan Marichal (July 1 9, 1960)...Information courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.

FIRST-ROUND METS: Harvey is the 10th pitcher chosen in the first round by the Mets to make a start for the team...He is the first since RHP Mike Pelfrey made his Mets debut on July 8, 200 6...Including Harvey, eight of the the 10 are righties.

2012 ALL-STAR: Named MiLB.com Top Star honors in the 2012 Triple-AAll- Star Game on July 11...Threw two hitless innings, striking out two.

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: In his first professional season, finished with a com bined 13-5 record and a 3.32 ERA (50 earned runs/135.2 innings) in 26 starts with St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League and Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League...Was 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA in 14 starts for St. Lucie and 5-3 with a 4.53 ERA in 12 games for Binghamton.