Momentum Night Ahead for the Mets

The Mets, winners of 3 of their last 4 games, have some momentum now, and the opportunity for a lot more if Livan Hernandez can beat the Marlins tonight.

The Mets will be minus 2 starters, Luis Castillo and Carlos Delgado, both of whom are nursing minor injuries they suffered in recent games.

Tonight's lineup is as follows:

Reyes, ss
Cora, 2b
Beltran, cf
Sheffield, lf
Wright, 3b
Church, rf
Tatis, 1b
Santos, c
Hernandez, rhp

Of interest is the fact that Daniel Murphy is sitting out his second consecutive game.

Sheffield, who hit the ball hard yesterday, certainly deserves another start, but the Mets are facing off against a righthander in Ricky Nolasco, so the move is something of a gamble for manager Jerry Manuel.

Nolasco, who pitched his way to a 15-8 record with a 3.52 ERA in 2008, is off to a very rough 2009. He is currently 1-2 with a 6.86 ERA.

Tonight could very well tell the tale of the Mets April on into May:

• Win, keep the momentum going, see Johan Santana tomorrow, and have a chance to finish the month strong against a division rival.
• Lose, and face the prospects of a very difficult weekend on the road in Philly.