(Sports Network) - The New York Mets welcomed back All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes in yesterday's doubleheader sweep of the Florida Marlins and will shoot for a fifth straight win tonight in the continuation of a five-game series.
Reyes did not play in the opener of the twinbill, a 2-1 triumph spurred on by seven shutout innings from starter R.A. Dickey. The knuckleballer yielded seven hits, struck out six batters and walked one.
Lucas Duda had three hits and both Josh Thole and Justin Turner ended with an RBI apiece for New York. Reyes went 1-for-4 with a run scored in a 5-1 win during the nightcap and was in action for the first time since Aug. 7 versus Atlanta because of a strained left hamstring. "This is my first game back," said Reyes, who's in the running for a batting title. "I need to get my confidence back before I do anything crazy on the field." David Wright went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while starter Dillon Gee threw six innings of one-run ball with six K's for the win. The Mets have won four in a row -- the longest streak since pulling off five straight wins July 25-29. They are still 6-11 in their last 17 games and 18-23 since the All-Star break. Mike Pelfrey gets the nod for the Mets tonight hoping to secure his second consecutive victory. He won for the first time since July 27 when he tossed six innings of three-run ball in Wednesday's 7-4 defeat of Philadelphia. The right-hander is 7-10 with a 4.60 ERA in 28 games (27 starts) this season. Pelfrey hasn't enjoyed much success against Florida in his career, going 1-7 with a 5.14 ERA in 16 starts. He is 3-2 in 11 trips to the Citi Field mound this season. Florida has dropped two in a row and nine of its last 11 games, and wasted a decent start by Anibal Sanchez in the first game of the doubleheader. Sanchez was reached for a pair of runs and seven hits in six innings. Gaby Sanchez homered and Mike Cameron recorded two hits in defeat. Ricky Nolasco toed the rubber in the second game and permitted four runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 frames to absorb the loss. Greg Dobbs homered in this one and Emilio Bonifacio added two hits for the Marlins. Omar Infante is riding a seven-game hitting streak and his batting .364 since the All-Star break. "The pitching wasn't that bad," said Marlins manager Jack McKeon. "It kept us in the ball game. It gave us an opportunity to score. We just couldn't cash in." Javier Vazquez will make his 26th start of the season for the Marlins tonight and is 7-11 with a 4.63 earned run average. Vazquez is 0-2 in his previous five trips to the hill and did not record a decision in a 6-5 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday, when he struck out 11 batters and allowed three runs in seven innings. Vazquez, a right-hander, is an even 10-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 27 starts against the Mets in his career. The former Montreal Expos draft pick has earned a 4-4 mark in 14 starts outside of south Florida this season. Florida has still won seven of 12 meetings with New York this season and had been unbeaten in the past six games at Citi Field.