A Look At Tonight's Game

Anthony Di Como at Mets.com, writes about tonight's game between the Mets and Diamondbacks:

The Mets will be looking to shake off the regret of a short fling at home that saw them drop two of three to the young Marlins. Oliver Perez did his part with a strong outing Wednesday, and fellow lefty Tom Glavine will look to feed off that momentum in the opener at Arizona.

"I'll do the same things that I need to do to stay successful," Glavine said. "There's just a little bit more of a premium on it if you're coming off of losing three in a row versus going out there and winning."

Glavine was as steady as ever in the season's opening month, spinning five quality starts in six tries. And the one time he didn't, his defense betrayed him for three unearned runs in his only loss to date.

The Pitchers:

LHP Tom Glavine (3-1, 2.80 ERA)Though Glavine's six innings of one-run ball may not have earned him a win last time out, they were good enough to hold Washington in check long enough for the Mets to pick up the victory in 12 innings. Thursday will mark Glavine's third crack at win No. 294, and it will come against a D-backs team that he hasn't faced since dealing an eight-inning gem in August 2005.

RHP Micah Owings (1-1, 2.93 ERA)

Arizona will activate Owings from the disabled list to start in favor of Edgar Gonzalez, who moves to the bullpen. Owings had cruised through his first two career starts before straining his hamstring four innings into his third. He has never faced the Mets.

Player To Watch:

The good news for outfielder Eric Byrnes is that he's batting a solid .287 on the year, and has hit a double off of Glavine in the past. The bad news is that it's the only hit he's earned in five tries, and that he's the only current Arizona regular to have a hit against the lefty.