Bronson Arroyo would certainly like to forget about the first time he faced the Mets this season. The veteran right-hander gets a chance at redemption Sunday in the opener of a doubleheader between Arizona and New York at Citi Field.
On April 15, Arroyo surrendered 10 hits and nine runs over 3 1/3 innings in a 9-0 loss to the Mets at Chase Field. He is 8-4 with a 4.29 ERA in 15 career starts against the Mets, including a 3-0 mark with a 2.32 ERA in four contests at Citi Field.
Arroyo had a personal three-game winning streak broken Tuesday at St. Louis when he allowed nine hits and five runs over seven frames in a 5-0 final.
Rafael Montero counters for New York in the first game, as the 23-year-old righty makes his third career start. He suffered a 9-4 loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday after yielding seven hits and five runs in 4 1/3 frames.
The doubleheader, which was made necessary due to Friday's rainout, will see Zeke Spruill start for Arizona in Game 2 and Daisuke Matsuzaka for the Mets.
Spruill pitched in six games and made two starts for Arizona last year, his first major league season. This year with Triple-A Reno, the righty has appeared in 12 games, going 2-1 with a 4.72 ERA.
Matsuzaka will make his 15th appearance, including his first start of 2014. The veteran right-hander lost in his lone start against Arizona.
Yesterday, Martin Prado hit a pair of RBI singles and the Diamondbacks won, 3-2. Josh Collmenter (3-2) allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over six frames for Arizona, which snapped a three-game slide. Addison Reed worked a 1-2-3 ninth to notch his 13th save of the year.
"I went out there and threw the ball down in the zone," Collmenter said. "I had a lot of quick outs later on and that helped out after blowing through so many pitches in the first inning."
David Wright smacked a solo homer among his three hits for the Mets, who have dropped seven of their last nine games. Zack Wheeler (1-5) surrendered three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and a walk while striking out seven over 6 2/3 innings to garner the loss.
"I could have kept going, if it was not for the pitch count or whatever. I felt strong all the way through," Wheeler said.
New York had won five straight against Arizona prior to Saturday. The Mets swept a three-game series at Chase Field in mid-April.
[SportsNetwork.com]
