Better luck this time for Mets' Saturday starter Misch?

Pat Misch gained some notoriety last season for sharing a dubious record. His teams were winless in the first 12 starts of his career, a streak that Misch finally snapped on Sept. 3 with a win over the Rockies.

Now that Misch has been confirmed as Saturday's starter against the Phillies, the Mets are hoping it won't take quite as long for his first victory this season. Misch, 28, certainly has earned the shot. He's 11-4 with a 3.23 ERA in 23 starts for Buffalo.

Misch has been at the front of the line for a shot at the major-league rotation. But the Mets really haven't needed much help after R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi stepped up.

But with Takahashi moving to the bullpen, the Mets finally needed a fifth starter again, and Misch was the easy choice. A soft-throwing lefthander who requires pinpoint location, he had 99 strikeouts and 24 walks in 150 2/3 innings at Buffalo. He's not dominant, but often effective. "It's almost like you have to be lights-out with all the other parts of the game," manager Jerry Manuel said. "You're one of those guys that have to continue to prove that time in and time out . . . He's proved that he could get it done."

No platoon for Ike

Manuel raised some eyebrows Friday by starting Mike Hessman over Ike Davis against lefthander Cole Hamels. But Manuel insisted he has no plans to platoon Davis, who was batting .273 (24-for-88) with two homers and 12 RBIs against lefties. "It's just that I'd like to see Hessman," Manuel said. "Ike has faced lefties, but this being such a long season for a young player, I think you got to refresh him as much as possible."

Bay watch

Jason Bay, who has been on the DL since July 30 with a concussion, visited his teammates Friday at Citi Field but remains inactive and no closer to baseball-related activities. With the minor-league schedule drawing to a close at the end of August, Bay is running out of rehab opportunities, which could further delay his return.