Mets vs. Pirates Preview, Lineups, And Broadcast Info: Game #154 — Collin McHugh vs. Wandy Rodriguez

Today's game notes, courtesy of @Mets.

Teams: Mets vs. Pirates
Date: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 • 7:10 p.m
Location: Citi Field • Flushing, NY
Starters: LHP Wandy Rodriguez (11-13, 3.76) vs. RHP Collin McHugh (0-2, 3.86)
TV/Radio: SNY • WFAN • WQBU
Info: Game #154 • Home Game #79

Lineup

Ruben Tejada – SS
Justin Turner – 2B
David Wright – 3B
Scott Hairston – LF
Ike Davis – 1B
Kelly Shoppach – C
Andres Torres – CF
Mike Baxter – RF
Collin McHugh – RHP

METS AT A GLANCE: The Mets have won four in a row after dropping five straight...The four-game winning streak is the second-longest current streak in the majors...Tampa Bay has won five straight...New York won a season-high five straight games from May 5-9.

AT HOME: The Mets are 4-3 on their current 10-game homestand and 4-9 in their last 13 home games...New York has won four straight at Citi Field for the first time since they won four consecutive contests from June 18-22...The last time the Mets had a longer home winning streak was in 2010 when they won nine in a row from May 22-June 8...The Mets are 34-44 at home this year (8-24 in the second half).

IKE DAVIS: Hit two home runs last night, giving him 30 for the season…Davis has three multi-home run games this season; he hit three on July 28 at Arizona and two on August 26 against Houston …Davis has five career multi-home run games...He finished with a career-high five RBI.

30 HOME RUNS: Davis put together the 29th season with 30 home runs in franchise history and the first since 2008, when David Wright finished with 33 and Carlos Delgado had 38…Davis also became the 16th Mets player with a 30-home run season.

SECOND HALF HOME RUNS: Ike Davis has 18 home runs since the All-Star break, tied for the fifth-most in majors and the second-most in the National League...San Diego’s Chase Headley leads the majors with 21 second-half home runs.

MEN ABOARD: Davis has nine home runs with two or more runners on base this season, the most in the majors. PER AT-BAT: Ike Davis ranks fourth in the National League with a home run every 16.3 at-bats.

HIT COUNTDOWN: David Wright went 1-3 last night...He has 1,416 career hits, TWO shy of tying Ed Kranepool for the most in franchise history (1,814)...Kranepool played in 1,853 games...Wright has played in 1,254 career contests...Three active players lead their current club’s all-time hit list...The Yankees’ Derek Jeter (3,295 hits), Colorado’s Todd Helton (2,420) and Texas’ Michael Young (2,220).

20 HOME RUNS: David Wright is one home run shy of 20...It would be his sixth season of 20 or more home runs and tie him with Mike Piazza for the second-most such seasons of 20 or more home runs in team history...Darryl Strawberry is first with eight campaigns of 20 or more home runs with the Mets.

WRIGHT RANKINGS: David Wright is 10th in the majors with a .390 on-base percentage, tied for ninth with 40 doubles and is eighth in the National League with a .304 batting average...He is tied for third in the NL with 79 walks.

HOME RUNS AT HOME: New York has hit at least one home run in six straight games (nine overall) at Citi Field...It’s the team’s second-longest such streak this season...The Mets collected at least one home run in eight straight home games from May 28-June 15 earlier this season ...New York is 20-14 when they hit two or more home runs in a game this year.

RUBEN TEJADA: Extended his hitting streak to six games last night...Tejada is hitting .348 (8-23) during this stretch.

JENRRY MEJIA: Earned his first major league win last night tossing 5.0 scoreless innings.

COLLIN MCHUGH: Will seek to become the fifth Mets pitcher this year to earn his first major league win, joining Jenrry Mejia, Matt Harvey, Jeremy Hefner and Josh Edgin...McHugh is making his third major league start tonight...In McHugh’s major league debut, he struck out nine batters on August 23 vs. Colorado, the second-most by a Mets pitcher making his major league debut.

R.A. DICKEY: Leads the National League with a 2.66 ERA (second in the majors) and is tied for second in the majors with 19 wins, one behind Gio Gonzalez...Dickey is second in the NL with 209 strikeouts...Dickey also leads the NL in complete games (five), shutouts (three) and innings pitched (220.0)...He is also tied for the major league lead with 25 quality starts with Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo...Dickey is third in the majors with a 1.04 WHIP and third in the NL with a .223 batting average against.

WINS: R.A. Dickey won his 19th game Sunday, the most by a Mets pitcher since 1990, when Frank Viola won 20 and Dwight Gooden finished with 19.

AT CITI FIELD: Dickey, who will make his final home start this Thursda y afternoon vs. Pittsburgh, is 9-3 with a 2.53 ERA (33 earned runs/117.1 innings) at home this year...He ranks sixth in the National League in home ERA and opponents this year are hitting .207 against him at home, the fifth-lowest mark in the NL.

ONE OF FIVE: Dickey became the fifth pitcher in franchise history to w in 19 games, throw 220.0 innings and strikeout 200 in a single season…Dickey joins Tom Seaver, who accomplished the feat five times, Dwight Gooden, twice, and Jerry Koosman and David Cone, who each did it once…Gooden was the last do to it in 1990.

STRIKEOUTS: Dickey has 209 strikeouts, the most by a Mets pitcher since David Cone had 214 in 1992.

RISP TALE OF TWO HALVES: The Mets went 2-4 with runners in scoring position last night and are hitting .200 (102-510) 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 .241 with RISP on the season, ranking 22nd in the majors...The Mets are hitting .258 with runners in scoring position and two outs, the third-highest average in the majors...The club hit .285 with RISP and two outs in the first half.

MEGATON: Megaton Mundial de Polito Vega concert will take place at Citi Field Sunday, September 30...Ricardo Arjona, Alejandro Sanz, Jenni Rivera, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Victor Manuelle, Anthony Santos and more are scheduled to headline the historic concert...Tickets for Megaton Mundial de Polito Vega are on sale at Tickets.com, (718) 507-TIXX and at the Citi Field Ticket

LAST START: Took the loss in the Mets’ 5-1 loss to the Washington Nati onals on September 10 at Citi Field...Pitched 4.0 innings, allowing a season-high five runs, earned, five hits (season-high three home runs), and two walks...Struck out three in the 76-pitch outing...Has a 6.75 ERA (six earned runs/8.0 innings pitched) in his last two starts after throwing 7.0 shutout innings in his major league debut on August 23 vs. Colorado.

RUN SUPPORT: Has received only a single run of support through his fir st three major league starts.

METS HISTORY: Became the third Mets pitcher to throw at least 7.0 scor eless innings in his debut and the first since Masato Yoshii on April 5, 1998..Yoshii also threw 7.0 innings... Dick Rusteck threw a four-hitter on June 10, 1966 to beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-0, at Shea...McHugh struck out nine, the second-most franchise history by a player in his first big league appearance...T eammate Matt Harvey fanned 11 on July 26 of this season.

MORE MCHUGH: The last player to throw at least 7.0 shutout innings and strike out nine or more in his major league debut, before McHugh accomplished the feat, was Aaron Harang for Oa kland on May 25, 2002 vs. Tampa...The last pitcher to do it with two hits or less allowed was Mil waukee’s Steve Woodard, who one-hit Toronto for 8.0 innings and struck out 12 on July 28, 1997.

2012 BUFFALO BISONS: McHugh made 13 starts for Buffalo (AAA) of the In ternational League, going 2-4 with a 3.42 ERA (28 earned runs/73.2 innings pitched)...Struck out 70 batter s, good for a 8.55 K/9...Held hitters to a .216 average.

2012 BINGHAMTON METS: In 12 starts for the Binghamton Mets (AA) of the Eastern League, from April 5 to June 13, McHugh was 5-5 with a 2.41 ERA (20 earned runs/74.2 innings pitche d)...Struck out 65 in those 74.2 innings...Pitched at least 5.0 innings in all but one of his 12 start s for Binghamton...Recorded seven quality starts...Held opponents to a .228 batting average...Allowed more t han three runs in only one start.

2012 TOTALS: In 25 combined starts this season, McHugh went 7-9 with a 2.91 ERA (48 earned runs/148.1 innings pitched)...The 148.1 innings are a career-high, breaking his previous high of 132.1 innings, which he set in 2010 with the Savannah Sand Gnats (A) of the South Atla ntic League...The 25 starts are also a career-high...Batters are hitting .222 this season against McH ugh.

SUCCES VS. RIGHTIES: While pitching for Binghamton, McHugh held right ies to a .205 average (35-171) with four home runs and 14 RBI...In the 13 starts he made for B uffalo, righties hit .199 (17-151) with three home runs and 17 RBI...Conversely, lefties hit .267 (28-105) while he was with Binghamton and .236 (30-127) while with Buffalo.

RUNNERS IN SCORING POSITION: In his 12 starts for the B-Mets, McHugh h eld hitters to a .196 (11- 56) average with runners in scoring position, with only one extra-base hit...In Buffalo, batters hit .214 (12- 56) with runners in scoring position...With two outs and runners in scoring post ion, batters hit .000 (0-20) against, at Binghamton and .185 (5-27) against, at Buffalo.

BERRY COLLEGE: With his promotion to Buffalo, McHugh became only the s econd player to come out of Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia to reach AAA...He is the first ever to reach the majors.

DRAFT: McHugh was drafted in the 18th round of the 2008 First-year Pla yer Draft...He is the second player the Mets have drafted from Berry College...The other was Troy Fry, who was drafted in the 24th round of the 2003 draft...He joins Ike Davis (1st round), Kirk Nieuwenhuis (3rd round), Josh Satin (6th round), and Chris Schwinden (22nd round), as members of the Mets’ 2008 draft cla ss to appear in the major leagues as a Met.

2011 MINORS: Went a combined 9-4 with a 3.84 ERA (55 earned runs/129.0 innings pitched) in 27 games, 22 starts, for St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League and Binghamton.. .Was named Binghamton’s Pitcher of the Year.