IGT 05/14 - Yankees at Metropolitans

[Guest d'Kong76]

NY Yankees at NY Mets
When: 7:10 PM ET, Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
SportsDirect Inc.

In the midst of their longest losing streak of the season, the New York Yankees turn to a pitcher who hasn't tasted defeat in a regular-season start since August 2012. Masahiro Tanaka will take the mound Wednesday as the Yankees look to halt a four-game skid when the Subway Series shifts to Citi Field for two games against the New York Mets. Tanaka has won his first five decisions in the majors and is 33-0 in his last 41 regular-season starts dating to his time in Japan.

Tanaka will also attempt to halt the Yankees' six-game losing streak to the Mets, who amassed 21 runs in taking the first two legs of the Subway Series at Yankee Stadium on Monday and Tuesday. Curtis Granderson, who left the Yankees to sign a four-year contract with the Mets in the offseason, tormented his former teammates with a pair of homers and five RBIs in the past two games. Rafael Montero, the No. 2 pitching prospect in the Mets' organization, will make his major-league debut.

TV:
7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, MY9 (Yankees), SNY (Mets)

PITCHING MATCHUP:
Mets RH Rafael Montero (NR) vs. Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (5-0, 2.57)

Tanaka allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings - matching his season low - in a victory at Milwaukee last time out, extending his streak of not allowing more than three runs in a start. He struck out 58 while walking only seven in 49 innings and issued one walk or less in six of his seven turns. Tanaka did keep the ball in the park against Milwaukee after surrendering five home runs in his previous three starts.

The Mets finally got tired of the inconsistency of Jenrry Mejia and demoted him to the bullpen to clear the way for the highly regarded Montero to join the rotation. The 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic went 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA at Triple-A Las Vegas and is coming off 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his last outing. Montero made 27 starts between Double-A and Triple-A in 2013 and struck out 150 in 155 1/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Yankees 3B Yangervis Solarte is 14-for-28 with two homers and nine RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak.
2. The Mets clubbed six homers in the two games at Yankee Stadium after hitting only 22 in the first 36 games of the season.
3. Yankees DH Carlos Beltran is sidelined with a bone spur in his right elbow while OF Ichiro Suzuki (back) is day-to-day.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

1. Montero gets a win.
2. Monetro gets a hit.
3. Tanaka gets a loss.

[Centerfield]

I'm really excited to see Montero. I think he's going to be better than Wheeler.

[Edgy MD]

Wonder if the Mets will try and bunt on him early. Get him a little huffy.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Centerfield wrote: I'm really excited to see Montero. I think he's going to be better than Wheeler.

It's hard to imagine being worse than Wheely was last night. Adjusted for context, it had to be among the ugliest starting pitching performances I've ever watched.

[Centerfield]

Like the swimmer who said to his friend, "I don't have to outswim the shark, I only have to outswim you.", thank god Nuno was even worse.

I don't know. Nothing I've ever seen from Wheeler leads me to believe he is going to be a top of the line starter. He throws free and easy, but his fastball is not a swing and miss pitch, and his secondary pitches are lacking.

On the other hand, from what little I've seen of Montero, he seems to have great control, changes speeds and keeps hitters off-balance. I am hoping he can be like a Super Gee.

[Lefty Specialist]

When your team hands you a 7-run lead, and all you need is 3 outs for the win, and your manager is bending over backward to give you every chance he can, and you STILL can't get more than one out, then that's ugly.

Excited for Montero, too. Glad he's not pitching in the Little League park in the Bronx.

[Edgy MD]

Generally, the combined movement and speed of his fastball is what is supposed to give Wheeler an edge --- when he has an edge. But that was only giving him foul balls and fastballs dancing out of the strikezone yesterday. It was like a bad Billy Wagner nightmare. A guy trying to overpower batters and his pitches weren't down with the program.

Obviously, learning how to grind is part of the growth. Finding something that works for you when your signature game isn't working at all. So it's a gift he got through this one without getting hurt and without the team taking the loss, but that. was. ugly.

July 21, 1983 is the date I always hold dear as the prototype of ugly starts. Not the sort of ugly start where a bomb or two gets you chased in the first. But the one where you're constantly a pitch away from getting out of it, so your manager gives you another batter, and then another. And you keep bouncing breaking pitches, sailing fastballs, and walking guys, and walking guys, and torturing Heaven with each pitch you throw.

if George Bamberger had stuck around, July 21 would have been the game that killed him, and I'm half surprised yesterday's game didn't make Terry explode. Lunchbucket almost set the IGT on fire.

[Centerfield]

There was this game last year against Philly:

http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/gamedetail.php?gameno=8212

Dillon Gee chased after 3 innings, 7 runs. Gave up 3 HR's in the first inning.

[Ceetar]

I feel like Oliver Perez probably had a couple 4IP 6BB 7K 2H type lines.

here's one. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200709160.shtml

4.2 IP. 6H, 5R, 2ER, 6 BB, 6K

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200807110.shtml

6 IP, 2H, 1 HR, 6BB, 7K, 119 pitches

[Edgy MD]

How did Wheeler only walk six yesterday? Clearly there's a missing digit and they mean 16.

Anyhow, back to the game at hand. Montero's last start, going up against Salt Lake:

5.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 SO

Suck on a little of that, Tanaka.

And somebody's going to have to buy it today to make room for Mitsubishi Montero. Favorite seems to be Valverde, with a popular groundswell building behind Farnie.

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: And somebody's going to have to buy it today to make room for Mitsubishi Montero. Favorite seems to be Valverde, with a popular groundswell building behind Farnie.

Figure there's an outside shot for Dice-K given his usage yesterday making him unavailable. But then again, he pitched well.

I'm going with Farnsworth. My guess is his leash is shorter since he didn't start with the team.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Thanks for all those ugly starts. What made Wheeler's so many times worse than all of those was the fact that he did all that given a 4-run lead against the MFYs. It took all the fun out of humiliating them.

Truly the MFYs suck, we've beaten them soundly twice despite getting a couple of awful starting pitching performances this week.

[Gwreck]

Edgy MD wrote: July 21, 1983 is the date I always hold dear as the prototype of ugly starts.

It might be semantics but I will always think of October 19, 1999 and September 30, 2007 as the ugliest starts in Mets history.

I guess last night is more of a "frustrating" start because there was less at stake and there was far less concern about whether they'd win or not.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, I use the word "prototype." Obviously, a season-ending blowup has a deep and innate horror that nothing in 1983 could speak to.

But 10 walks in 3 1/3 innings is special.

Torrez earned a 25 game score that night, as Wheeler did last night. Obviously, they don't factor in the buzzkill of ruining a Feast of Yankee Destruction.

Glavine's game score of September 30, 2007? Eleven.

[Edgy MD]

Newsday invites you to meet Montero, complete with a Devo reference.

Click through to the article and watch the vids.

Rafael Montero: What to expect from the Mets prospect 10:54 AM By Cody Derespina Mets pitcher Rafael Montero looks on during spring training on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (Credit: Newsday / Alejandra Villa) Rafael Montero, one of the top pitching prospects in the Mets organization, makes his major league debut in a start against the Yankees on Wednesday night. Here's what you can expect to see from the 6-foot righthander: IN CONTROL Montero's calling card is his excellent command. In 390 minor league innings, he's struck out 367 hitters and walked 85 -- a 4.32 strikeout to walk ratio.He's uncharacteristically walked 18 in 41.2 innings in Triple-A this season (with 41 strikeouts), but when he's on his game, he's not going to give any bases away for free. WHIP IT GOOD So if Montero won't walk hitters... how do they fare hitting against him? Not well. He's allowed 317 hits in 390 innings and his minor league WHIP is 1.03. Typically a starting pitcher will have a WHIP somewhere between 1.20 and 1.30. A very good reliever will be near 1.00. Montero achieves the best of both worlds, limiting hitters like a reliever, but enduring over a longer span. A HOME RUN In his 390 innings, Montero has allowed a total of 19 home runs. That's all the more impressive when you consider where he's pitched recently. The Las Vegas 51s, the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, play in the Pacific Coast League. The 51s home park is known for being a pitcher's version of purgatory (or worse) and the PCL is generally regarded as an offensive league. Still, Montero, in 131.1 innings, has allowed only seven home runs. He also permitted just 115 hits. For comparison, Zack Wheeler pitched 68.2 innings for Las Vegas and allowed nine home runs. ARSENAL Montero uses a fastball, changeup and slider. The first two are his best pitches, according to Baseball America, and his fastball sits in the low 90s, though it can reach 95 mph on occasion. PRESENCE Montero is highly regarded for his demeanor on the mound with Baseball America going so far as to note that despite Montero's small frame, "his plus-plus command and poise are such assets that he defies convention."

[Ceetar]

Montero. At Citi Field.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

[Edgy MD]

Wrong jersey, DJ.

Is the lovefest program for Jeter going to be tonight or tomorrow?

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Edgy MD wrote: Wrong jersey, DJ. Is the lovefest program for Jeter going to be tonight or tomorrow?

Can we give him one of Duda's burgers?

[Frayed Knot]

More What to Expect from Montero stuff - this time from BA

Their scouting report:
Montero has achieved minor league success with solid-but-unspectacular stuff. He doesn�t have a plus pitch, but at his best he has three average pitches he can throw with above-average control and average command�and very few minor league pitchers have present average command.
Over the last few weeks, Montero hasn�t been as fine with his control as he usually is. Pitching from the extreme glove-side of the rubber, he�s generally able to locate his fastball to both the arm and glove side of the plate with some sink. He�s shown the ability to cut his fastball to give hitters another look. But recently he�s been missing his target, never badly, but just enough to fail to get the strike zone on pitches that usually catch the black. Even in his last outing, where he allowed no hits in 5 1/3 innings, he would have had a more dominant outing if the umpire had a slightly more generous strike zone.
Montero�s average changeup is good enough to keep lefthanders honest, but his long-term development will revolve around how his slider develops. At its best, it�s a solid-average pitch, but it�s more erratic than his change up.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: Is the lovefest program for Jeter going to be tonight or tomorrow?

It's hard to believe that after a career which spanned SEVEN GAMES at CitiField that Jeter will never play another one after tomorrow night.
Things will just never be the same.

[Edgy MD]

I hope that whatever the Mets give him, it's packaged in a shrinkwrapped basket.

[Frayed Knot]

This is the one -- and only one -- of the four game series (we'll see their call-up on Thursday) where the pitching matchup favors them: a rookie call-up facing a guy who hasn't lost a game since sometime in 2012 on another continent.
And even if things don't turn out that way, it was nice winning back-to-back games where we gave up 7 runs in each but that's not going to last.

OTOH, Mark Simon from ESPN.com chimes in with this note via Elias: "the Mets are the first team in the modern era (since 1900) to have a streak of three straight major-league debuts by starters who pitched at least five innings and held their opponents scoreless." -- so Rafael Montero will be challenged to match what Matt Harvey, Collin McHugh and Zack Wheeler did in their first games.


Montero was 5-for-35 as a hitter this season

[HahnSolo]

I could be wrong, but I think the Rivera farewell last year was done well before game time, somewhere on the inside of Citi (maybe the MFY lockerroom), when Jeffy presented him with whatever the Mets gave him (don't remember what was said but--shocker--I think Jeff put his foot in his mouth somehow). They at least had the presence of mind to not do it in front of their fans. Hopefully the same happens this year.

[Edgy MD]

The Mets presented Rivera with a mounted antique firehose nozzle, not that anybody calls relievers "firemen" anymore, but presumably that was the meaning. The FDNY participated in the ceremony.



After the ceremony, the Mets and Yankees played a ballgame, which the Yankees were leading going into the ninth. Not only did Rivera blow the save, it was the first time in his career he failed to record an out. We should have taken back the nozzle from the big nozzle.

Good morning: Double by Daniel Murphy.
Good afternoon: RBI single by David Wright, advancing to second on an error by Brett Gardner.
Good night: Game-winning single by Lucas Duda.

[Guest d'Kong76]

note via Elias: "the Mets are the first team in the modern era (since 1900) to have a streak of three straight major-league debuts by starters who pitched at least five innings and held their opponents scoreless." -- so Rafael Montero will be challenged to match what Matt Harvey, Collin McHugh and Zack Wheeler did in their first games.

Anyone who could have pulled Collin McHugh out of
their cap, please step up and collect your prize.

[Ceetar]

note via Elias: "the Mets are the first team in the modern era (since 1900) to have a streak of three straight major-league debuts by starters who pitched at least five innings and held their opponents scoreless." -- so Rafael Montero will be challenged to match what Matt Harvey, Collin McHugh and Zack Wheeler did in their first games. Anyone who could have pulled Collin McHugh out of their cap, please step up and collect your prize.

It wasn't really a long time ago..

[Benjamin Grimm]

No, but Collin McHugh's debut isn't exactly burned into my memory.

[seawolf17]

Collin McHugh was a Met?