IGT, 7/4, NYM vs. PHI, The Fight for Freedom

[Edgy MD]

Chris Young vs. Cliff Lee this Independence Day.

Wait, let me start that over.

It's the 2-1, 3.30 Chris Young vs. the 0-5, 4.13 Cliff Lee. How the deuce did that happen? I dunno, but let's keep it up.

Like the Federal troops of a US war we're not commemorating this weekend, we've already faced Lee twice so far this campaign. RA Dickey and his troops beat him 5-2 on April 13 in Philly, getting four runs off him in seven innings, including homers from Scott Hairston and Jason Bay. On May 30 at Citi (the famed LeeGee matchup), the Mets got to him for three runs in six innings, but the bullpen blew it all up and the Flushings fell, 10-6. Five straight relievers got touched for at least one run, totalling eight runs in 2 1/3 innings (plus an inherited runner of Gee's who scored.) Lucas Duda went deep twice in that game, once off of Lee.

That first win helped the Mets to a 2-1 series win (that might have been a sweep hadn't bullpen pyrotechnics appeared in game three. The May 30 loss gave the Phils a series win. We also have a sweep of the Phils in Philly May 7-9, so I'm saying that our tinderbox pen (and the management who trusts it) are the only thing standing between the Mets and utter dominance of the 2012 Phils.

Chris Young is big. What can I tell you. The man is enormous.



He hasn't seen the Phils in five starts this year, but he had a brief but strong start against them in his debut for the Mets last April 5, going 5 1/3, giving up one run on five hits, walking four and striking out seven.

Freddy Galvis is unavailable for this game, suffering as he is from a case of cheaticus caughticus, and I'm wondering maybe if he didn't catch it from Carlos Ruiz. Just thinking out loud here.

[Guest themetfairy]

[youtube:1jsq5vsq]Sv6dMFF_yts[/youtube:1jsq5vsq]

[Frayed Knot]

So it seems incredible that someone like Cliff Lee can go winless for an entire half of a season. How does that happen?
Well, three ways really: 1) he's been unlucky; 2) he's been unavailable; 3) he's not been very good
More or less in that order.

1) Unlucky: during his first three starts in April (his ONLY three starts in April as it turns out) he got an ND giving up 1 ER in 6 IPs, then got a loss giving up 4 runs over 7, and then incredibly got an ND for a [u:c485ayvj]10 inning shut-out[/u:c485ayvj] that the Phils went on to lose 1-0

2) Unavailable: he went on the DL for a short stretch, not appearing for the next 20 Philly games

3) Not So Good: he came back to more or less the same tough luck that he had in April [NDs in a 2 runs over 6 game and a 1 run over 8] but that didn't last long.
In his eight games since those two he's totaled 52.1 IPs while giving up 33 earned runs [5.67 ERA] and the most recent four starts have been the worst of it [7.30 ERA].
In his last outing he got thumped to the tune of 6 earned on 10 hits over 4.2 by the Marlins.
Overall, games where he's allowed 4 or more earnies have been just about as common [6 times] as those of 3 or fewer [7] and during June that ratio was 4-1



But, hey, it's not like he's aging or signed to a lengthy and incredibly expensive deal or anything.

[TransMonk]

[youtube:31xv4bky]hI-D0ZqIqgQ[/youtube:31xv4bky]

[Edgy MD]

Really hoping to not see Turner at first today.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Edgy DC wrote: Really hoping to not see Turner at first today.

No need to avert your eyes.

Tejada-SS
Murphy-2B
Wright-3B
Hairston-LF
Duda-RF
Davis-1B
Torres-CF
Nickeas-C
Young-P

[Edgy MD]

Surprised, on the other hand, to see Murphy at second. Playing the hot hand, there.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Everywhere but behind the plate, but this is the logical game for Nickeas, considering it's a day game after night game, 90+ degrees, and Dickey going tomorrow night.

[Ceetar]

Swan Swan H wrote: Everywhere but behind the plate, but this is the logical game for Nickeas, considering it's a day game after night game, 90+ degrees, and Dickey going tomorrow night.

Josh is young, day off Monday, Niese is hitting better than Nickeas, only six games before a break, I'd say just go for 6 with Thole but I guess Lee plays in too.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Two fly balls to center and a grounder to second. Young barely breaks a sweat in the first.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Lee starts off sharp as well, with a weak fly and two backwards Ks.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Ike with the first hit of the day, a dribbler that finds no-man's-land in front of Utley, but it's scoreless after two.

[bmfc1]

The way I would do things, this is Young's last start until July 21. Nothing against him, but I want Dickey to pitch twice against the Nationals (remember that the All-Star break is four days long):
July 13, @ ATL--Johan
July 14, @ ATL--R.A.
July 15, @ ATL--Niese
July 16, off
July 17, @ WSH--Gee
July 18, @ WSH--Johan
July 19, @ WSH--R.A.
July 20, LA--Niese
July 21, LA--Young
July 22, LA--Gee
July 23, WSH--Johan
July 24, WSH--R.A.
July 25, WSH--Niese.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Meanwhile, Darling is mixing metaphors as if he had mixed some Irish into his coffee at lunch. ("That's a play Lee usually makes in his pocket," e.g.)

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Torres and Duda barely avert a drive-by in right center, but Duda being a foot and a half taller allows him to catch the ball without incident.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Young M.C. busting a move through three - 9 up, 9 down.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I know he's an athlete-- played basketball well enough to be all-Ivy-- but watching Chris Young run to first brings to mind a guy running while carrying a ladder upright.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Swan Swan H wrote: Torres and Duda barely avert a drive-by in right center, but Duda being a foot and a half taller allows him to catch the ball without incident.

Victorino and Mayberry avoid the same sort of kerfuffle by looking at each other while Ruben's double drops and rolls between them.

[TransMonk]

Torres can play a little centerfield.

[TransMonk]

KABOOM!!!

Scott Hairston crushes one.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

CLIIIIIIIFF LEE! Busted.

[Lefty Specialist]

Darling, after Keith's Barbecued Lamb recipe: "He MARINATED that high fastball."

Hilarious.

[TransMonk]

That was a pretty hot double-play!

[Frayed Knot]

Gary: "First ground ball double play Chris Young has gotten as a New York Met!"

Me: "Wow!!"

Even with CY's fly-ball tendencies and relative short track record in Blue & Orange, that's still kind of surprising.

[Guest Kong76]

Keith describing that recipe and talking about his herb garden
had me laughing. I'd like to inventory that herb garden.

[bmfc1]

It's Tejada the only Met keeping "the claw" alive?

[Frayed Knot]

David makes up for the liner he hit to Utley that would have made the Hairston HR into a 2R job earlier

[Guest themetfairy]

And just like that we're behind....

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

It's looking more and more like Young is the guy in this rotation you DO pull with a lead after 6.

[nymr83]

I prefer an 11-man pitching staff to a 12, but part of having one is that you don't put Batista in to start the 8th down a run and then pull him after a leadoff single.