(Sports Network) - A pair of National League East contenders get together in the Big Apple tonight, when the New York Mets welcome the Florida Marlins to town for the first of three straight games at Shea Stadium.

Both clubs are in the thick of a heated race for the top spot in the National League East, as the Marlins sit 1 1/2 games behind division-leading Philadelphia with the Mets just two games off the pace.

New York won two of three games versus the Marlins as the host from May 26-28 and leads the season series by a 5-4 count.

The Mets won two of three games over the San Diego Padres coming into tonight's clash, including a dramatic 5-3 victory in the series finale on Thursday. David Wright was the hero by clubbing a game-winning two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning for New York, which entered the San Diego series having lost four straight games.

Nick Evans knocked in a pair of runs for the Mets and Dan Murphy added an RBI in the win. Reliever Aaron Heilman recorded the last two outs in the top of the ninth to nab the win, while starter Johan Santana allowed four hits and two runs over seven-plus innings in a no-decision.

Oliver Perez will take a crack at Florida on Friday and is 7-7 with a 4.12 ERA in 23 outings this season. Perez has dropped two of his last four starts and was handed the loss at Houston on Sunday, surrendering four runs and eight hits in six frames.

The lefty will try to beat Florida again this season after hurling six innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 triumph on July 29 at Dolphin Stadium. Perez is 5-3 with a 4.65 ERA in 13 career starts against the Marlins.

Florida just won two of three games in Philadelphia and registered a 3-0 victory over the Phillies in Thursday afternoon's series finale. Starter Chris Volstad combined with four relievers on a four-hit shutout to stifle the NL East-leading Phils and give the Marlins their fifth win in their last eight tries.

Volstad allowed just three hits in six innings of work before Joe Nelson, Arthur Rhodes, Matt Lindstrom and Kevin Gregg combined to allow one hit in three innings. Gregg earned his 25th save with a scoreless ninth.

Matt Treanor, Josh Willingham and Hanley Ramirez had an RBI apiece for the Marlins, who will send Ricky Nolasco to the hill in Friday's series opener.

Nolasco ended a four-game winless streak (0-2) his last time out on Saturday versus Colorado. He surrendered just three runs and four hits in eight innings of a 5-3 win to improve to 11-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 24 games (22 starts) this season.

Nolasco, who is 6-2 in 12 away starts in 2008, did not factor in the outcome of a 7-3 win over the Mets on July 28. He limited New York to two runs on seven hits through six frames.

The right-hander is 2-3 with an 8.13 earned run average in eight career appearances, six of which have been starts, against the Mets. New York is batting .400 against Nolasco over that time.