(Best E Casino) - While Philadelphia continues to surge with a half-game lead over New York in the National League East division, the Mets are starting to settle in at the top of the wild card standings.

Tonight the Mets will kick off a three-game series versus the division-rival Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. New York, which is 1 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee in the NL wild card race, has lost nine of the 15 matchups with the Braves this season. To make matters even worse for New York, the ballclub has also dropped all six games so far in Dixie.

The Mets remained within striking distance of the Phillies with Thursday's 7-2 victory over the Washington Nationals in the finale of a four-game series. They won the last two matchups in the set and got great pitching from staff ace Johan Santana last night. Santana improved to 14-7 on the season and allowed one run on eight hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and two walks. The southpaw is 7-0 in his last 15 starts and has allowed two runs or fewer in 12 of those outings.

Brian Schneider belted a pair of home runs and Ryan Church added two hits and a pair of RBI for the Mets, who have won six of their last 10 games.

Taking the hill on Friday for New York will be lefty Oliver Perez and he is 10-7 with a 4.09 earned run average this season. Perez is 3-0 in the last eight starts, with the Mets going 6-2 over that span. He has recorded back-to- back no-decisions and previously pitched in a 7-4 loss on Sunday versus Atlanta.

Perez held the Braves to a pair of runs and four hits in seven innings to remain at 6-4 in 13 career starts against them. He will face them for the third time this season.

Atlanta was just swept in three games by the Philadelphia Phillies at home and has dropped four of its last five games. In Thursday's 4-3 loss in the series finale to the Phils, starting pitcher Mike Hampton surrendered four runs -- two earned -- on six hits in seven frames to absorb the defeat.

Casey Kotchman homered and Brian McCann added an RBI for the Braves.

Jo-Jo Reyes gets the nod from Braves skipper Bobby Cox tonight and is just 3-11 with a 5.50 ERA this season. Reyes last won on June 13 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim and has gone 0-7 in 12 starts since. In his most recent outing on Saturday at the Mets, Reyes suffered the loss after giving up four runs and five hits in two innings of work.

The southpaw has made two appearances against the Mets in his career, both this season, and is 0-1 with a 6.75 earned run average.