THIS IS IT

James faces fellow lefty Perez at Shea
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

Braves southpaw Chuck James has been at both his best and worst when facing the Mets. When he opposes them at Shea Stadium on Saturday afternoon, he’ll be looking to continue the success that he’s found since they battered him last year.

After allowing the Mets seven earned runs in just one inning on July 30, 2006, James came back on Sept. 4 to limit them to one hit in eight scoreless innings. The latter performance is more indicative of the type of pitcher this 25-year-old left-hander has become.

“Chuckie has been good since the day he got here,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said. “We feel good every time he goes out there to pitch.”

James has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 11 of his past 14 starts. One of the two losses he’s suffered during that span came on Monday, when he allowed the Nationals three earned runs in five innings.

The Mets will counter with Oliver Perez, who has handled the Braves and struggled against basically every other National League team since the beginning of last year. Two of the four wins he’s collected in his past 24 starts have come at the Braves expense.

Perez tossed a five-hit shutout against the Braves last Sept. 6, then limited them to one run in seven innings on April 6. That effort resulted in the only win the Mets have recorded in four tries against the Braves this year.

With Friday night’s series-opening win, the Braves reclaimed first place in the National League East and now hold a half-game advantage over the Mets.

Pitching matchup
ATL: LHP Chuck James (2-1, 2.25 ERA)
James is 9-2 with a 2.74 ERA in his past 14 starts.

NYM: LHP Oliver Perez (1-1, 3.72 ERA)
Since the beginning of last season, Perez has posted a 2.95 ERA in the three starts against the Braves and a 7.03 ERA in the other 22 starts.

Player to watch
Mets third baseman David Wright’s 26-game hitting streak was snapped on Friday night. He has one hit in four career at-bats against James.

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