April 7 -- MEET THE METS. BEAT THE METS?

CINCINNATI -- Big win for the Phillies today. Four home runs off Reds starter Bronson Arroyo -- two by red-hot Pat Burrell -- and a harder-than-it-had-to-be first save for Brad Lidge salvaged a split of the four-game series at Great American Ball Park.

But, admit it, you're already thinking about the Mets. I know I am. So, most of the questions that I and the other beat writers asked after the game were Mets-related. And the best sound byte came from someone you wouldn't expect.

Charlie Manuel.

About an hour before the Phillies traveled to New York for tomorrow's final home-opener ever at Shea Stadium, Manuel discussed the burgeoning Phillies-Mets rivalry thusly: "As long as we whip 'em, we don't have to make a big deal about it. They'll talk. We'll hit."

Good stuff, right?

Lately, the Mets have been doing most of the talking. You remember Carlos Beltran's spring-training imitation of Jimmy Rollins' "team to beat" comment, right? Check out Billy Wagner's comments to New York reporters last weekend about the Mets' epic September meltdown: "The collapse didn't come because the Phillies beat us. It came because we just played bad. That's how I look at it. It wasn't like they beat us. A lot of times we beat ourselves with defense or not doing things we did all year."

Rollins, by the way, isn't engaging in the war of words. Not yet, at least.

"Write something for me," he said with a smile. "You have my permission. Anyone asks me if I said it, I'm like, 'Hey, they wrote it.'"

Tomorrow should be fun. Talk to you from New York.

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I put together this chart for the 50-center on the Phillies' eight-game winning streak over the Mets. Here's a look at the past eight games between the teams.

July 1 at Philly -- Phillies 5, Mets 3: Kyle Kendrick prevents a four-game Mets sweep.
Aug. 27 at Philly -- Phillies 9, Mets 2: J.D. Durbin throws 6-1/3 strong innings.
Aug. 28 at Philly -- Phillies 4, Mets 2: Two-run walk-off homer by Ryan Howard in 10th.
Aug. 29 at Philly -- Phillies 3, Mets 2: Game-ending interference call on Marlon Anderson.
Aug. 30 at Philly -- Phillies 11, Mets 10: Epic ends with Chase Utley's RBI single in ninth.
Sept. 14 at NY -- Phillies 3, Mets 2: Greg Dobbs hits sacrifice fly in 10th.
Sept. 15 at NY -- Phillies 5, Mets 3: Jimmy Rollins' two-run triple keys three-run eighth.
Sept. 16 at NY -- Phillies 10, Mets 6: Dobbs hits a pinch-hit grand slam.