IGT 5/10/14 PHI @ NYM: They Can't Hide Their Ryan Eyes

[G-Fafif]

Nolan Ryan Bobblehead Night, featuring Texan Dillon Gee, who doesn't need to leave New York to find himself.

The bases have been swept clean since last night. Time to fill them with Mets and then send them home.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Philadelphia at NY Mets
When: 7:10 PM ET, Saturday, May 10, 2014
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
SportsDirect Inc.

The Philadelphia Phillies snapped out of their funk on Friday, and the New York Mets hope their turn comes Saturday when the teams square off in Queens. Philadelphia had lost four straight prior to its 3-2, 11-inning win in the series opener. Meanwhile, the loss was the seventh in eight games for New York, which used seven pitchers and could benefit from a long outing by Dillon Gee in this one.

Gee enters this matchup with a career-long streak of 16 scoreless innings and will be opposed by Kyle Kendrick, who has not won since August. Mets star David Wright, who had two hits and a pair of walks on Friday, brings a seven-game hitting streak into Saturday's contest. Former New York outfielder Marlon Byrd delivered the decisive double in the series opener but was held below two hits for just the second time in eight games this month.

TV:
7:10 p.m. ET, CSN (Philadelphia), WPIX (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP:
Phillies RH Kyle Kendrick (0-3, 3.58 ERA) vs. Mets RH Dillon Gee (3-1, 2.51)

Kendrick has not won in his last 13 starts dating to Aug. 13, 2013 although he has generally been solid this season. He gave up three runs in seven innings Monday against Toronto, but his teammates couldn't help him out in the 3-0 defeat. In fact, the Phillies have only scored more than four runs in one of Kendrick's six starts in 2014.

Gee has held his opponent without a run in three of his last four starts, racking up a 0.67 ERA during that stretch. He struggled against the Phillies in 2013, allowing 21 runs in 20 innings and affording them a .375 batting average. Over the course of Gee's career, Ryan Howard has been one of his toughest opponents, entering this matchup with a stunning 7-for-15 mark against Gee with six home runs among those hits.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Byrd is 12-for-25 with seven extra-base hits in May.
2. Wright is a .317 hitter in 41 career at-bats against Kendrick, while Daniel Murphy (5-for-27) and Ruben Tejada (4-for-19) have not enjoyed the same success.
3. Gee allowed five home runs over his first three starts, but none in his last four outings.

[Frayed Knot]

The Philadelphia Phillies snapped out of their funk on Friday ...

No they didn't, they merely sucked less than the Mets did.




Duda "unlikely to play" again on Saturday, so either Campbell gets thrown right into the fire or maybe we get an EYJ/Muffy side of the infield for one night.




I don't know that I'm all jazzed up over the idea of the Mets staging a Nolan Ryan bobble-head day.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I think one could say he's not Mets bobble-head worthy
and get too much of an argument back.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Now I got that song in my head. You can't hide your
big round thighs.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Oh, you sad O
You better quit being weak, now
It's been nigh on a week, now
With nary a run
Waving at strike one
Like you're at a boring pitch-meeting
All those runners you're leavin' on
Make me wish I had a gun

[Frayed Knot]

Last minute decision rules that Duda is well enough to start.
Other than that, everything is the same for both teams.

Juan Lagares, cf
Daniel Murphy, 2b
David Wright, 3b
Curtis Granderson, rf
Chris Young, lf
[crossout:173bvddt]Campbell[/crossout:173bvddt] Duda, 1b
Wilmer Flores, ss
Travis d�Arnaud, c
Dillon Gee, rhp




Ben Revere, cf
Jimmy Rollins, ss
Chase Utley, 2b
Ryan Howard, 1b
Marlon Byrd, rf
Domonic Brown, lf
Carlos Ruiz, c
Cody Asche, 3b
Kyle Kendrick, rho

[Guest d'Kong76]

Was kinda hoping to see Campbell, just for the halibut.

[ashie62]

So much for the OF rotation... We were winning with EYJ leading off. It's not like Chris Young is dominationg either...

[ashie62]

7:45 tip off

[Frayed Knot]

I had temporarily forgotten the part about how the Phils have traditionally hit Gee.

[Edgy MD]

Heckuvan effort by Byrd, but if he keeps his feet, that's a single and maybe nobody scores.

[Frayed Knot]

Curtis, Curtis, Curtis!

[Guest d'Kong76]

We all knew going in he would strike out a lot, but jeez
he swings at an awful lot of crap-ass pitches.

[Frayed Knot]

And we're getting an Eric Campbell sighting as the Phisl go to the LHP
Somewhere, somebody has got to make an opposing pitcher pay for putting runners on.

[Edgy MD]

SOU-PY!! SOU-PY!! SOU-PY!!

[Frayed Knot]

Now make him pay more Wilmer!!

[Frayed Knot]

Again with the early pull of Gee.
Sooner or later these guys are going to have to have their training wheels removed.

[Edgy MD]

Nice to hear a "Let's go, Mets!" when things are going bad on defense.

[Edgy MD]

Assist to the crowd on that one.

[Edgy MD]

Familia pitching like a bullpen ace.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: Familia pitching like a bullpen ace.

Yeah, but now he's out of the game after one batter and we have no LHPs remaining to face Rollins, Utley, Howard, Brown, so we have to tackle 8th & 9th innings of a tie game already into the 3rd level of relievers -- all because we decided that Gee had to come out after, what?, 80 pitches.

[Edgy MD]

I kinda think that if Flores were Kevin Mitchell, he'd be out of the game by now.

The Mets are all in.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

If we'd start hitting a few home runs we'd worry a whole lot less about that bullpen.

[Edgy MD]

Hey, Tim Timmons. That was unhittable.

[Frayed Knot]

HOLY SHIT, THAT WAS A STRIKE!?!?!!?!!

[Edgy MD]

Kinda hoping Terry would take the bunt off 3-1, but good job, Youngie.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

TEAM EGOLESS

[Edgy MD]

Number 29 will always be Magadan to me.

[Edgy MD]

How weird.