Former Mets star Jose Reyes will be honored with a pre-game video tribute, but he might not exactly be welcomed back by the Mets faithful when the Marlins begin a three-game series at Citi Field.
Reyes is off to a slow start with his new team, hitting .230 with only two RBIs, but perhaps a return to his former digs will spark something. He is a career .319 hitter at Citi Field and hit .348 there while winning the National League batting title last season.
The Mets are suddenly reeling after dropping both ends of a doubleheader to the Giants on Monday. They have lost four of their last five.
After reeling off four straight wins last week, the Marlins have lost two straight to drop back below .500.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Florida (Miami), SNY (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Josh Johnson (0-2, 5.94 ERA) vs. Mets LH Johan Santana (0-2, 3.97 ERA)
Johnson is off to an up-and-down start with two quality starts sandwiched around a terrible outing at Philadelphia. He bounced back with seven innings of two-run ball last Tuesday against the Cubs but didn't get a decision. Perhaps a couple extra days off via Sunday's rainout will help him continue to get back on track against a Mets team he has fared well against. He is 8-1 with a 2.68 ERA in 14 starts against New York.
Santana had to wait an extra day to put last week's disastrous outing against the Braves behind him, as the Mets bumped him from Monday's scheduled start to use a spot starter in the doubleheader and keep the rotation intact. After two solid starts to begin the season, Santana gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings last Tuesday at Atlanta. The Marlins are a good opponent for Santana to face while trying to bounce back; he's 6-1 with a 1.47 ERA in nine starts against them.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Marlins scored only two runs in their two-game weekend series with the Nationals, with both coming on a ninth-inning home run by Logan Morrison to force extra innings Saturday.
2. The current Marlins roster has a collective .191 batting average in 131 at-bats against Santana, and 3B Hanley Ramirez is among the worst against Santana at 3-for-21 with seven strikeouts.
3. Despite Johnson's success against the Mets, OF Jason Bay has fared well against him, going 5-for-12 with a triple and a home run.