(Sports Network) - The New York Mets are playing the kind of baseball right now that could save a manager's job. Willie Randolph's crew will try to maintain its hot play in the opener of a three-game set tonight with the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

Randolph received a vote of confidence from general manager Omar Minaya last Monday, just a day after the Mets lost to the Rockies for their sixth loss in seven games. Though Randolph's job was not guaranteed for the rest of the season, New York is playing like a club that wants to keep him around.

The Mets lost last Monday's test with the Marlins, but have since won five of six, taking three of four against the Dodgers over the weekend. New York's big and pricey names stepped up, as Johan Santana pitched into the eighth inning, while Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church each hit two-run homers.

Santana (7-3) allowed six hits and the lone run while striking out six over 7 2/3 innings to win for the sixth time in his last seven decisions. Church, meanwhile, had three hits after returning to the starting lineup for the first time since suffering a minor concussion -- his second of the year -- in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Atlanta on May 20.

David Wright had three hits and two RBI, and Jose Reyes went 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Reyes, who has reached base safely in 32 straight games, extended his hitting streak to 17 games, hitting .338 (25-74) with 14 runs scored, five home runs and 11 RBI over that stretch.

The Mets send Oliver Perez to the hill tonight to pitch this opener. Perez has posted consecutive no-decisions, including Wednesday when he gave up five runs on four hits and four walks over six innings. He was hurt by the long ball, allowing three homers in a game for the second time this year.

Perez, who is 4-3 with a 4.83 earned run average this year, has yet to defeat the Giants in his career, going 0-4 against them with a 5.83 ERA in eight starts.

The Giants will try to carry the momentum of Sunday's comeback win over the Padres into tonight's test. San Francisco found itself down 3-1 in the bottom of the 10th after Alex Hinshaw (1-0) gave up a two-run homer to Adrian Gonzalez in the top of the frame, but rallied for three runs in the inning.

Fred Lewis drove in the first two runs of the stanza with a pinch-hit triple that scored both Ray Durham and Brian Horwitz, while Jose Castillo later brought home Lewis with an infield single to win the game.

The win helped the Giants avoid getting swept in the three-game series and was their fourth in six games.

Though he is batting just .245 on the season and has only one hit in his last 12 at-bats, the Giants might want to keep Rich Aurilia's bat in the lineup tonight, as he has four homers and 10 RBI in 31 at-bats in his career against Perez.

Jonathan Sanchez starts for the Giants and brings a 3-3 record and 4.26 ERA into tonight's outing. Sanchez halted a five-start winless stretch (0-2) on Wednesday versus the Diamondbacks, holding them to a pair of runs and six hits over six innings of an 11-3 victory. The left-hander also struck out six, giving him 63 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings this year.

Sanchez, who has allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last eight outings, will make his first career start against the Mets tonight. He has faced them twice in relief, posting a victory while holding them without a hit or run in 1 2/3 total innings.

The Mets won four of six against the Giants last year, going 2-1 at AT&T Park.