Athletics at Mets
The New York Mets will try to stretch their winning streak to four games when they continue a three-game series with the visiting Oakland Athletics on Saturday. All-Star Michael Conforto has been heating up during the Mets' surge and he had two home runs in a 7-5 win to begin the set Friday night.
He is 8-for-19 with three homers and two doubles during a five-game hitting streak and is batting .303 with 12 long balls at home this year. The Athletics lost first baseman Ryon Healy in the opener after he took a bad-hop grounder off his head. They picked up a pair of late runs to make it interesting in the opener but left 11 runners on base overall in falling to 15-30 on the road. Shorstop Marcus Semien had four hits in Friday's loss after going 5-for-38 over his first 10 games after coming off the disabled list earlier this month.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, NBCSN California (Oakland), WPIX (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Sean Manaea (8-5, 3.68 ERA) vs. Mets RH Zack Wheeler (3-7, 4.98)
Manaea has lasted at least seven innings in each of this three starts this month and picked up the win after allowing two runs in seven frames against Cleveland on Sunday. He owns a 2.67 ERA over his last four starts while allowing just one home run in 27 innings. The 25-year-old has never faced the Mets and is 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA in four interleague starts.
Wheeler has dropped five straight decisions after giving up four runs over 5 1/3 innings of a 6-3 loss to St. Louis on Monday. The former first-round pick has allowed seven home runs over his last five outings and owns an ERA of 10.13 ERA in that stretch. Wheeler is 1-1 with a 9.39 ERA in two career starts against Oakland.
WALK-OFFS
1. Healy told reporters he felt fine and hopes to play Saturday.
2. Mets RF Jay Bruce is 1-for-13 over his last three contests after hitting safely in eight consecutive games.
3. Athletics LF Rajai Davis has three straight multi-hit games.