New York Mets

          Series preview: Mets vs. Diamondbacks

          NEW YORK METS (44-42, second place/NL East) vs. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (42-42, second place/NL West)

          Friday: RHP Noah Syndergaard (3-4, 3.38) vs. RHP Chase Anderson (4-2, 3.71), 7:10 p.m. ET

          Saturday: RHP Matt Harvey (7-6, 3.11) vs. LHP Patrick Corbin (1-0, 3.60), 4:10 p.m. ET

          Sunday: LHP Jonathon Niese vs. RHP Rubby De La Rosa (6-4, 4.89), 1:10 p.m. ET

          DIAMONDBACKS SHORT HOPS

          • The Diamondbacks reached .500 for the first time since April 24 with Wednesday’s victory over the Texas Rangers. Arizona had failed to produce a win in its previous 11 tries when a game under the breakeven point. The victory, coupled with the San Francisco Giants’ loss to the Mets, pulled Arizona into a virtual second-place tie in the NL West.

          • First baseman Paul Goldschmidt and center fielder A.J. Pollock will represent the D-backs in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Goldschmidt, who starts for the National League for the second straight year, leads the league with a .349 batting average and is tied for the lead in RBIs with Colorado’s Nolan Arenado at 68. Goldschmidt also has 20 homers. Pollock arrives at Citi Field having hit safely in all seven games in July. He is hitting .394 (13-for-33) with two homers and seven RBIs during that span. For the season, Pollock is hitting .304 with 11 homers and 42 RBIs.

          • Corbin allowed two runs on eight hits in five innings in his return from Tommy John surgery on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. It marked the Syracuse-area native’s first major league action since Sept. 27, 2013.

          • Catcher Welington Castillo, who was acquired by Arizona on the eve of its June series against the Mets in Phoenix, is hitting .284 with five homers and 14 RBIs in 74 at-bats since the swap. The D-backs sent Mark Trumbo to the Seattle Mariners in the six-player deal. Castillo began the season with the Chicago Cubs. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, also obtained in-season, backs up Castillo. The D-backs lost Tuffy Gosewisch to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in late May.

          • First-year manager Chip Hale served as third-base coach for the Mets in 2010 and 2011. He then left for Bob Melvin’s staff in Oakland to serve as bench coach.

          • The D-backs signed Cuban defector Yasmany Tomas to a six-year, $68.5 million contract in November. Tomas is a natural outfielder, but initially manned third base for Arizona when Jake Lamb suffered a stress reaction in his left foot. Once Lamb returned from the DL, which coincided with the Trumbo trade, Tomas shifted early last month to his more familiar right field.

          • Nick Ahmed has settled in as the shortstop with Didi Gregorius now wearing Yankees pinstripes. Ahmed, a 25-year-old UConn product, is hitting .249 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 241 at-bats. He has hit safely in each of his last eight games with an at-bat, one shy of matching his career high. The D-backs received left-hander Robbie Ray and minor league infielder Domingo Leyba from the Detroit Tigers in the three-team deal that sent Gregorius to the Bronx.

          • Ex-Met Oliver Perez is still alive and kicking. The southpaw has a 3.97 ERA in 37 relief appearances. Lefties are hitting .174 against him. Righties are hitting .295.

          • Brad Ziegler, who took over the closing duties from Addison Reed in mid-May, has thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings spanning 11 appearances. Ziegler’s 14 saves are a career high. He has not allowed a hit with a runner in scoring position in his past 12 games. Batters are 0-for-15 with RISP during that stretch.