Diamondbacks-Mets Preview

Johan Santana should be used to low run support from the New York Mets.

New York native Patrick Corbin and the Arizona Diamondbacks wouldn't mind seeing that trend continue.

Santana gets a sixth crack at his first victory as the slumping Mets try to end their longest slide of the season Saturday against the Diamondbacks and their young starter.

New York (13-13) has given Santana (0-2, 2.25 ERA) an average of 3.37 runs over three-plus seasons, the lowest for any pitcher with at least 350 innings in that span.

That support has dropped even further this season, as he's been backed by four runs in five starts and they all came in his latest trip to the mound. Santana allowed two hits in six scoreless innings Sunday before the bullpen wasted the effort by surrendering four runs in the eighth, as New York salvaged a 6-5 win in 11 at Colorado.

"We won, and that's all I care about," the left-hander told the team's official website. "At some point, we'll do the little things. It takes a whole team effort to win one game, even though I did my job. Everybody still has to come through."

Santana is certainly doing his part. He's yielded one or no runs in four of his five starts while striking out 29 in 24 innings.

He's 2-0 with a 0.62 ERA in four starts against the Diamondbacks (14-13) but hasn't faced them since a meeting at Shea Stadium on June 12, 2008.

The Mets are hitting .231 during their four-game losing streak, which continued with Friday's 5-4 defeat to open this three-game set at Citi Field.

Corbin (1-0, 4.76) is looking to take advantage of those struggles as he takes the mound for his second career start.

The 22-year-old left-hander is from Clay in upstate New York and grew up idolizing the Yankees' Andy Pettitte, wearing the same No. 46.

"He always went out there and competed every day, worked hard, and never took anything for granted," Corbin told the team's official website. "I think that's the way to kind of grow up doing everything, and baseball as well.

"Every day you have an opportunity to get better, and that's what I'm here to do."

Corbin was put in the rotation after Josh Collmenter was demoted to the bullpen, and he turned in a solid major league debut in Monday's 9-5 win at Miami.

Corbin allowed three runs with six strikeouts while walking three and hitting another batter in 5 2-3 innings, hours after being recalled from Double-A Mobile, where he was 2-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Arizona's Cody Ransom is hitting .345 with three homers and 10 RBIs in eight games since being recalled from Triple-A Reno, and the journeyman third baseman went 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs on Friday.

"Confidence is probably a big part of it, knowing that I can play here and actually believing it," said Ransom, who is 5 for 10 with five RBIs in eight career meetings with the Mets.

David Wright continues to be New York's biggest threat at the plate after going 1 for 2 with two walks in the series opener. The third baseman is among baseball's leaders with a .395 average, and he's hitting .424 over the past 10 games.