Mets, Phils open big series in South Philly

The New York Mets kick off a huge 10-game road trip tonight when they play the first of four straight games against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

The National League East-leading Mets will play their two biggest division rivals on this trek before getting a breather in Cincinnati. First up are the Phillies as the Mets will try to deliver a knockout blow to Philadelphia's division title aspirations. The second-place Phils currently trail the Mets by six games in the standings.

New York holds a slim 6-5 advantage in its season series with Philadelphia, but has won four of five this year in the City of Brotherly Love. The Mets are 28-20 against the Phils since the start of the 2005 season and hold a 14-9 mark in Philly over that span.

After this four-game set, the Mets will play three in Atlanta, which is seven games off the pace in the division.

New York won two of three against the Dodgers over the weekend, but did lose Sunday's game, 6-2. David Wright went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles while knocking in both runs.

John Maine started for New York and went 5 2/3 innings, allowing six runs -- three earned -- on a season-high nine hits. Maine (13-8) also fanned six while walking just one.

The Mets are expected to have Paul Lo Duca behind the plate after activating him from the 15-day disabled list following last night's game. Lo Duca, who completed a rehab stint on Saturday, had missed 13 games due to a strained right hamstring.

Brian Lawrence comes into tonight's start for the Mets off two straight less- than-stellar outings. Lawrence allowed four runs on four hits and four walks in five innings of a no-decision at Pittsburgh on August 16 and followed that up with a very similar outing against his former club, the Padres.

Against San Diego on Wednesday, the right-hander again went five innings, yielding four runs and four walks but also allowed seven hits in the loss, falling to 1-1 on the year with a 5.57 earned run average.

Lawrence has faced the Phillies seven times in his career, six of those starts, and is 1-3 with a 4.06 ERA.

The Phillies, meanwhile, aren't playing their best ball of the season but come into tonight's game off a 14-2 rout of the Padres. Jayson Werth had a career- high five hits to go along with four runs batted in, as Philadelphia halted a four-game losing streak while winning for just the second time in eight games.

Ryan Howard belted a three-run homer and had four RBI, while Aaron Rowand had three hits and two RBI for the Phillies, who pulled back within three games of San Diego for the NL wild card spot while improving to 2-4 on a 10-game homestand.

Kyle Kendrick (7-3), pitching on his 23rd birthday, surrendered only a run on six hits with four strikeouts and a walk in six innings of work.

The Phillies should get another boost today with the expected return of second baseman Chase Utley. The All-Star has been out since suffering a broken right hand on July 26 after getting hit by a pitch.

Utley, who completed a three-game rehabilitation stint with Double-A Reading, is hitting .336 with 17 homers, 82 RBI and 41 doubles on the season.

J.D. Durbin, who has shuttled between the bullpen and rotation this year, will make his third straight start for the Phillies. Durbin picked up the win against Pittsburgh on August 17 before taking the loss against the Dodgers on Wednesday. He allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits over six innings in the loss, making his season record 5-3 with a 5.44 ERA.

Durbin faced the Mets for the first time in his career on June 29 and took the loss after giving up six runs in 4 2/3 frames.