The Mets are reeling, having lost five of their last six games to drop to one game below .500 on the season. Nothing like four games against the division-leading Florida Marlins. The Mets have been playing ugly, ugly baseball of late and the losses are really starting to pile up. Despite their recent plunge they are still only five games behind the Fish. That could all change in a matter of days, as the end of this series could leave the Mets as many as nine games out or as little as one game out. The Mets get a bit of a break with A.J. Burnett skipping his scheduled start this series. The Marlins get a similar break by getting to play the Mets for four straight games. Tonight Kris Benson (2-1, 3.70) goes against Logan Kensing (0-0, 12.00). Friday night’s game pits Pedro Martinez (4-1, 3.14) against Brian Moehler (2-1, 2.13). In an alarming mismatch, Kaz Ishii (0-3, 5.59) takes the hill on Saturday, opposed by Dontrelle Willis (8-1, 1.55). And finally, in the Sunday matinee, Tom Glavine (3-5, 5.43) goes against Josh Beckett (6-3, 2.63).

Game 1: Logan Kensing

What’s the Story? According to ESPN.com his middle name is French. That’s all I’ve got, folks.

Last Year: The Mets have never faced Frenchy.

What to Expect: I guess any time you face the Marlins and you aren’t seeing Beckett, Willis, or Burnett, you have to make the most of it. That said, the Mets stink. I guess I’ll give the Mets this one.

Game 1 Update: Frank Castillo

What’s the Story? ESPN lied to me and told me that Logan Kensing was starting. In actuality, it’s Castillo, which would probably tilt the scales in the Mets favor even moreso. Castillo has only pitched one big league inning since the end of the 2002 season. If the Mets don’t tee off on this guy they may as well pack it in for the season (if they haven’t already done so).

Last Year: Last year Frank Castillo was cleaning my pool.

What to Expect: The Mets have a solid shot at losing all four games in this series, but I think they should be able to put a bunch of runs on the board against Castillo.

Game 2: Brian Moehler

What’s the Story? Pedro we know. Moehler is 33 and has never finished a season with an ERA under 3.90. His middle name is Merritt and his name is pronounced ‘MOLE-er’. For those of you who thought it might be ‘MOE-eh-ler’ go sit in the corner. He has a career 4.46 ERA and a career K/9 of 4.68.

Last Year: Moehler didn’t face the Mets last season. For that matter, Moehler didn’t face anyone last season.

What to Expect: This looks like a mismatch, for once in the Mets’ favor. The Mets could conceivably win the first two games in this series. They could equally conceivably lose them both in horrendous fashion. *sighs*

Game 3: Dontrelle Willis

What’s the Story? Willis has been lights out this year, but my guess is he is going to hit a downswing some day soon. He’s allowed only two homeruns and just 48 hits overall in 64 innings. Bottom line: he’s been extraordinarily lucky this season. Most likely is that he will regress back to allowing around a hit per inning and his normal homerun rates. Willis only throws three pitches: a plus two-seamer, a plus slider, and an average four-seam fastball, but he has good control of all three and is very good against lefties. He is a very good athlete and a good hitter, too. His middle name is Wayne. He doesn’t look very big on TV, but he’s apparently 6-4, 239 lbs. He will kick your ass.

Last Year: Willis was 2-0 in four starts last season against the Mets, though they roughed him up a bit in his last two starts, scoring nine runs in 12.1 innings.

What to Expect: Not looking good people. Willis has historically dominated the Mets, and the Mets have a recent history of being terrible in general, so those two things slapped together spell out a big fat “L” for the Metties.

Game 4: Josh Beckett

What’s the Story? Beckett has crazy good stuff. His four-seamer is a dominant fastball that he cranks up to 96 MPH or so. He also has a good two-seamer that he throws in the mid-90’s, a plus changeup and a solid curveball. He’s also only 25. His middle name is Patrick, which is pretty solid. His first name is Joshua, which is kinda soft. He’s 6-5, 222 lbs. Run away.

Last Year: Beckett was 2-0 against the Mets in 2004, allowing just two earned runs in 19.2 innings.

What to Expect: Tom Glavine has pitched much better of late, but Beckett has to be considered the favorite in this one.

Overall: As bad as the Mets have been and as good as the Marlins have been, the Mets could very reasonably be expected to split this series. There, I said it.

Predicted Record: I’ve lost track
Actual Record: 23-24