KTE: Miami Marlins (Sep 21-23)

[Gwreck]

Just the basics:

This series is the battle to avoid last place. Mets are a half game ahead of the 66-84 Marlins. Mets are 8-4 against Miami this year.

Pitching matchups:
Friday: Jacob Turner ® vs. Niese. Turner was one of the Tigers key pitching prospects who Miami aquired in the deal for Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante. Has never faced the Mets.

Saturday: Mark Buehrle (L) vs. Dickey. Buehrle has three starts against the Mets this year, the first two of which were reasonably good. Mets knocked him around a bit a few weeks ago.

Sunday: Ricky Nolasco ® vs Chris Young. Mets haven't seen Nolasco since May, when they got 6 runs in 4 2/3 innings off him.

Hits Record
David needs five hits to set the new all-time Mets record. He�s never faced Friday starter Jacob Turner. He�s 3 for 9 with a homer against Buehrle for his career (all this year). 3 for 6 against Nolasco this year with a homer.

20 Wins watch
Dickey may or may not be facing Gincarlo Stanton this weekend; he has a strained oblique and has been out, possibly returning Friday.

Ex-Mets
Jose-Jose is hitting .288 and may fall short of his stated goal of getting to .300 for the year.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Welcome back, G.

[Gwreck]

Thanks. Love the cartoon.
Sorry about the short KTE; with Bruce S. in town, things are a bit busy and the Mets seem to be (deservedly?) getting the back burner.

Planning on going to the game Sunday (and selfishly hoping that's when David breaks the record).

[batmagadanleadoff]

[Gwreck]

None of Jurassic Carl?

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Gwreck wrote: Thanks. Love the cartoon. Sorry about the short KTE; with Bruce S. in town, things are a bit busy and the Mets seem to be (deservedly?) getting the back burner. Planning on going to the game Sunday (and selfishly hoping that's when David breaks the record).

That game may well decide the NL East Wooden Spoon.

Edited September 20, 2012 by Guest

[batmagadanleadoff]

Gwreck wrote: None of Jurassic Carl?

Only Marlins after Mets. Not Mets after Marlins.

But here you go ...

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Zeile's Marlin career totally escaped me, but then I remembered he was the throw-in in the Piazza deal.

[Edgy MD]

Dickey 4-0, 1.16 against the Marlins this year.

Four starts, 31 innings, 4 ER, 8 hits, 1 shutout, 24 strikeouts and zero effing walks. They're slashing at .195 / .235 / .283 // .518. He's basically turned them into a lineup of Jonathon Nieses.

Keep that magic going for one more start, Remaining Attraction.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy DC wrote: Dickey 4-0, 1.16 against the Marlins this year. Four starts, 31 innings, 4 ER, 8 hits, 1 shutout, 24 strikeouts and zero effing walks. They're slashing at .195 / .235 / .283 // .518. He's basically turned them into a lineup of Jonathon Nieses. Keep that magic going for one more start, Remaining Attraction.

Ozzie Guillen served up another gem of a quote in his post-game press conference [three weeks ago] after RA Dickey and the Mets beat the Marlins, 3-0. �When he makes his speech for the Cy Young Award. make sure he mentions the Marlins, please. We appreciate that,� Guillen said. Dickey improved to 17-4 with a 2.63 ERA, boosting his front-runner candidacy for the NL Cy Young Award. He is 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA this year against the Marlins.

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/2012/08/31/ozzie-ra-dickey-should-thank-marlins-if-he-wins-cy-young/

RA's dominance over the Marlins can't last forever. But if it does, I wonder if, in a close race, the voters will hold it against RA on grounds of padding his stats against a weak team.

[Edgy MD]

I feel like I jinxed the guy just by recounting those numbers.

Gio Gonzalez against the Marlins: 0-2, 3.86 in two starts covering 14 innings.

Johnny Cueto is 4-0 0.95 in four starts and 28.1 innings ag'in' the Cubs. I imagine most candidates get fat on somebody.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy DC wrote: I imagine most candidates get fat on somebody.

Yeah, but this season, I've heard and read some of the dumbest commentary ever against Dickey winning the award.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Confession: I liked the teal caps and undershirts.

The card with the action shot of Piazza is pretty cool. I think he only played five games for them.

Now, will the Hall of Fame plaque say "Florida - 1998" or "Miami - 1998" If it says "Florida," what would happen if there was a future Hall of Famer on the team with a career spanning last year and this year? Would it just be one or the other?

Such name changes have unintended consequences!

[Edgy MD]

I would imagine it would say "Florida/Miami, N.L., 2011-2012."

[MFS62]

The Second Spitter wrote: That game may well decide the NL East Wooden Spoon.

Maybe they should try using wooden spoons instead of their bats - a large flat hitting surface sounds like it could help.

Later