R.A. Dickey may have a partially torn fascia in his right foot, but that's not going to stop him from starting tonight as the New York Mets take on the Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander James McDonald.
Three games left against a team that's played much better than expected this season, but one that is certainly not a vaunted team in the National League, the Mets have a chance to seriously reach the .500 mark this series as they're only three back. New York is on a nine-game homerless streak.
McDonald has allowed three runs combined in his past two outings, with 10 strikeouts over the 12 2/3 innings pitched. He's 3-3 on the year with a 5.23 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, but the 26-year-old is another good arm in the Pirates' rotation with some potential.
The Mets will have to most likely have to play out this series without one of the favorite's for NL MVP at this point, Jose Reyes. Reyes' grandmother died and he went back to the Dominican Republic. He's expected to miss three to seven days. Ruben Tejada will fill in at short stop, with Justin Turner at third base and Willie Harris at third.