The Mets take on the Padres for a three-game series at Shea starting tonight. With a 58-53 record and a four-game losing streak, the Mets find themselves in third place, three games behind Philadelphia. The last time the Mets faced the Padres out in San Diego, they were swept in a four-game series. They lost the first three games by a score of 2-1, and Billy Wagner blew the save in the fourth game. They’ll be out for some revenge in Queens, though the Mets are having trouble hitting and pitching these days. And the injuries are piling up. It doesn’t look like the Mets will have Wagner around to blow any games this time. They really need a nice bounce-back series, but they also have a tendency to play down to the competition. They’re now 6-9 since their 10-game winning streak.

The Padres are 43-69 and in last place. They just lost two out of three to the Giants, and are 6-11 since the All-Star break. The Mets will miss Jake Peavy and Greg Maddux in this series. And Khalil Greene is out with a fractured hand. The only excitement in San Diego these days is when Ron Burgundy breaks into one of his signature jazz flute solos. Stay classy, San Diego.

Here are the pitching matchups for the series:

Tuesday: Chris Young (4-4, 4.12) vs. Mike Pelfrey (9-7, 3.91)

Wednesday: Cha Seung Baek (3-5, 5.12) vs. Pedro Martinez (3-2, 6.16)

Thursday: Josh Banks (3-4, 3.65) vs. Johan Santana (9-7, 2.86)

Padres Leaders:

Average: Brian Giles – .294; Home Runs: Adrian Gonzalez – 26; RBIs: Gonzalez – 83; Runs: Gonzalez – 66; Stolen Bases: Tadahito Iguchi – 8

Wins: Peavy – 8; ERA: Peavy – 2.59; Saves: Trevor Hoffman – 22

Mets Leaders:

Average: Jose Reyes – .306; Home Runs: Carlos Delgado – 23; RBIs: David Wright – 84; Runs: Reyes – 80; Stolen Bases: Reyes – 36

Wins: Santana, Pelfrey, John Maine – 9; ERA: Santana – 2.86; Saves: Wagner – 27