New York, NY (WFAN)  -- The Mets first homestand of 2008 concludes with three games against the Washington Nationals and then it's a trip down the turnpike this weekend to take on the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Mets were just 3 and 6 vs. the Nats last season at Shea, splitting the first six meetings before suffering a crushing three-game sweep by Washington in the final week of the 2007 season. The Nationals scored 32 runs and pounded out 36 hits in winning those three games last September 24th, 25th and 26th. The Mets wound up with a dismal 12 and 24 record at home against the four N.L. East opponents compared to their 23 and 13 mark on the road vs. those same four clubs.

Paul LoDuca and Lastings Milledge will make their returns to Shea with the Nats this week. In 142 career games at Shea, LoDuca has hit .267 with seven homers and 50 rbi's but just .200 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in the 44 games he has played at Shea as a Mets' opponent while with the Dodgers and Marlins. LoDuca's last appearance at Shea as a visiting player was on September 22nd, 2005 with Florida when he went 0 for 4 against Pedro Martinez and Aaron Heilman in a 2-1 Marlins win. Lastings Milledge hit .284 with eight homers and 32 rbi's in his 58 games at Shea as a Met.

The Mets make their first visit of the season to Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia this weekend. In 2007, New York won its first four games in Philadelphia and then lost each of the last five meetings there with the Phils, including a four-game sweep at the end of August which lifted Philadelphia back into the N.L. playoff picture as they cut the Mets lead in the East from nine games down to five. The Phils four-game sweep, which included two wins in their last at bat, was their first over any team since taking all four games of a series with New York in September 2003 at Veteran's Stadium. The Mets beat the Phillies two out of three last week at Shea in their first home series of the season just as they did in 2007. New York would win only one more series at Shea vs. an N.L. East opponent the rest of the year, (2 of 3 against Atlanta in September) dropping eight and splitting two of the 10 other series at home vs. the Phillies, Braves, Nationals and Marlins.

Nelson Figueroa and Raul Casanova made their first starts as Mets in last Friday night's 4-2 win over the Brewers. After the game, Figueroa told WFAN's Ed Coleman on the clubhouse report that he and his catcher, Casanova were, "The Mets future battery of the past." This is a reference to the fact that both began pro careers in the Mets' organization. Figueroa was drafted by New York in the 30th round of Baseball's Amateur Draft in 1995 while Casanova was selected in the 8th round by the Mets in 1990. Figueroa, who the Mets traded as part of the deal in which they sent Bernard Gilkey to the Diamondbacks for Willie Blair and Jorge Fabregas in 1998, is just the 3rd player taken by the Mets in the June 1995 draft to appear in the majors for them. Grant Roberts, taken in the 11th round, and Dan Murray, their 10th round choice who pitched in just one game as Met, are are the only other two. Shortstop Ryan Jaroncyk, the Mets' first round selection in '95, never reached the big leagues. A.J. Burnett, who New York took in the 8th round, was traded to the Marlins in the Al Leiter deal, while two others: Scott Proctor (round #17) and Aaron Rowand (round #40) were both drafted by the Mets that year but neither signed with New York. Jeromy Burnitz was the Mets number one pick in June of 1990, the same draft in which they originally acquired Raul Casanova. Other Mets selections that year included: Aaron Ledesma (round #2), Pete Walker (round #7) and Fernando Vina (round #9). Casanova was traded by the Mets as a player to be named later in the deal in which they sent Wally Whitehurst and D.J. Dozier to San Diego for Tony Fernandez in 1992.