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Thursday, July 12 Purchase Tickets Shea Stadium | 7:10 PM ET
CIN Bronson Arroyo, RHP (3-9, 4.84)
Reds (36-52) @ NYM Orlando Hernandez, RHP (4-4, 3.22)
Mets (48-39)

Scouting Report:
Reds: Coming off a streak of 10 consecutive starts without a victory, Arroyo notched his first win since May 6 last Thursday against the Giants. In his third straight quality start, Arroyo allowed three earned runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 frames to go along with the third home run of his career, which he hit off Giants starter Matt Morris in the second inning.

Mets: Hernandez had his shortest outing of the season in his last start at Coors Field and matched the most runs he's allowed so far this year, yielding six runs (five earned) while throwing 107 pitches over four innings. Fastball command was the problem for El Duque, as he matched his career high of six free passes, giving up a walk with the bases loaded. Hernandez felt good about his breaking pitches, but he had trouble hitting his spots with his fastball and found that even when he made good pitches, the Rockies were hitting them. There was no question that he was struggling, but the Rockies were locked in, unleashing 17 runs on 20 hits, with only six of those hits coming on Hernandez's watch.

Friday, July 13 Purchase Tickets Shea Stadium | 7:10 PM ET
CIN Matt Belisle, RHP (5-6, 5.28)
Reds (36-52) @ NYM John Maine, RHP (10-4, 2.71)
Mets (48-39)

Scouting Report:
Reds: Belisle continued to be haunted by the long ball in his last start against the Giants. After giving up five home runs in May and eight in June, Belisle gave up a grand slam in his first July start to turn what had looked like a solid outing into an early exit and his sixth loss. The right-hander gave up five earned runs on six hits in four innings in the Reds' 9-5 loss.

Mets: Turning in a first-half many thought All-Star worthy, Maine has firmly established himself as a big-league force. He's currently riding a personal four-game win streak, yielding two runs or fewer in each of those starts. Acquired along with Jorge Julio from the Orioles for Kris Benson in January 2006, the 26-year-old Maine has yet to face the Reds in his career.

Saturday, July 14 Purchase Tickets Shea Stadium | 7:30 PM ET
CIN Aaron Harang, RHP (9-2, 3.67)
Reds (36-52) @ NYM Tom Glavine, LHP (7-6, 4.36)
Mets (48-39)

Scouting Report:
Reds: In his most recent start, on July 8 in Cincinnati, Harang held the D-backs to only one run on six hits with a walk and eight strikeouts over eight innings. He had to settle for a no-decision, however, when the Reds bullpen blew the save opportunity. As of Sunday, Harang's 112 strikeouts this season were third-best in the National League.

Mets: Glavine stalled before the All-Star break in two tries for career win No. 298, though his second attempt was far better than the first. The lefty allowed just three runs in seven innings at Houston, but his efforts were lost in an eventual 17-inning marathon win. He'll try for a third time against a Reds team that he's beaten only once since 2003.

Sunday, July 15 Purchase Tickets Shea Stadium | 1:10 PM ET
CIN Kyle Lohse, RHP (5-10, 4.47)
Reds (36-52) @ NYM Oliver Perez, LHP (7-6, 3.14)
Mets (48-39)

Scouting Report:
Reds: Lohse gave up just one earned run for the second consecutive start on July 6 against Arizona, holding the Diamondbacks to four hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He went the distance to earn the victory in the Reds' 8-1 win. For most of this season, Lohse has been either dominant or dominated in his starts, with the first inning being a strong indicator of how the rest of his night will go.

Mets: Perez hasn't pitched since lower back stiffness landed him on the disabled list at the end of June, after he struggled through a month that had been his worst to date. The sometimes erratic lefty walked 19 batters in five June starts after issuing just 11 free passes in his previous eight starts. He'll look to regain that control against the Reds, who have drawn nine walks off him in 9 1/3 ineffective innings last

Wrighteous wrote:As soon as cmaff acknowledges Maine as a good pitcher, he gets bombed.

Damn you cmaff, why couldn't you keep bashing him!