IGT August 28, 2014: Beat them like it is the 1969 playoffs

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

After coming up short last night, I shall start this one to bring us luck.



Remember back in the 1969 playoffs? No Chipper, no Kimbrel, no holier than thou catchers getting in people's faces for not playing the game "the right way," no abandoning perfectly good and relatively new stadiums for the suburbs.

No stupid red hats with an off-center tomahawk. No batting practice caps with enthnically offensive logos that are pulled from the market and denied that they ever existed.

No Freddie Freaking Freeman.

They were a simpler time.

Let's recall them and take this series tonight!

David Wright is expected back in lineup! He left Sunday�s game with neck pain. The Braves are a real pain in the neck.

Jon Niese (7-9, 3.47 ERA) is pitching against Mike Minor (5-8, 4.90 ERA).

Hey, did you know that the lunar module was built by Grummen on Long Island? True stuff. My uncle worked on it.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

That's a good post.

I see a thrashing coming.

[Zvon]

This happens to dovetail nicely with my imaginary 3 game playoff series for the make-believe N.L. East flag.
We win this game, we best the Braves, and then I'll have to imagine something else to keep things interesting. How about a best of 3 World Series vs the Phils?

Someone should tell TC that if they don't win tonight they can all go home for the winter.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Braves 1969 sleeve patch:

[fimg=444:2s5fq9sh]http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4754780/Braves_throwback_patch_medium.jpg[/fimg:2s5fq9sh]

Braves bobblehead, circa 1969:

[fimg=422:2s5fq9sh]http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFg4NjI=/z/FaoAAOSwirZTva7o/$_57.JPG[/fimg:2s5fq9sh]

[Benjamin Grimm]

Zvon wrote: Someone should tell TC that if they don't win tonight they can all go home for the winter.

And that's supposed to be an incentive to win?

[Guest d'Kong76]

That bobble is scary!

Atlanta at NY Mets
When: 7:10 PM ET, Thursday, August 28, 2014
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
SportsDirect Inc.

Mike Minor struggled through a miserable first four months of the season, but the Atlanta Braves� left-hander has regained the form that made him one of the top southpaws in the National League after missing a start in early August. Minor leads the Braves into the rubber match of a three-game series at the New York Mets on Thursday after carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning Friday at Cincinnati, his third consecutive strong start. The Mets went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position in dropping Wednesday�s middle game 3-2 -- their sixth loss in nine games.

The Mets� biggest issue at the moment is health, as second baseman Daniel Murphy (right calf soreness) and third baseman David Wright (sore neck) have missed the first two games of the series. New York�s Juan Lagares is batting .500 during his current five-game hitting streak, collecting a pair of hits Wednesday and driving in a run. Atlanta�s Craig Kimbrel recorded his 39th save Wednesday and his next will give him at least 40 for the fourth consecutive season.

TV:
7:10 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP:
Braves LH Mike Minor (5-8, 4.90 ERA) vs. Mets LH Jonathon Niese (7-9, 3.47)

Minor did not allow a hit Friday until Billy Hamilton�s bloop single with two outs in the eighth, tying a game the Braves won in extra innings. He has allowed three runs on five hits in his past 14 2/3 innings, and since Atlanta skipped his turn in the rotation earlier this month, Minor has held opponents to a .176 batting average. Minor, who won 24 games in 2012-13, has pitched against the Mets twice this season and did not get a decision while posting a 4.76 ERA.

Niese lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last start Friday, allowing five runs (two earned) on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings to end a two-start winning streak. The 27-year-old is 2-5 with a 4.63 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break while opponents are batting .298 against him in that span. Niese gave up only one run in six innings of a 6-0 loss to the Braves on April 18, and is 6-5 in 16 career starts against Atlanta.

WALK-OFFS:
1. The Mets have homered in eight consecutive games, the longest streak since New York homered in the first 12 games of 2013.
2. Atlanta 3B Chris Johnson is 7-for-35 on the team's road trip and was given Wednesday off.
3. New York RHP Vic Black (neck) and LHP Josh Edgin (elbow) were unavailable for Wednesday�s game, and manager Terry Collins told reporters Black will be out for at least the next couple of days.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Shouldn't the deGrom 4 for 48 promo be for Granderson
and they could give out a deGrom bobble on his night?

Heyward, RF
Bonifacio, CF
Freeman, 1B
Upton, LF
Johnson, 3B
La Stella, 2B
Simmons, SS
Laird, C
Minor, P

[Benjamin Grimm]

The 48 is for deGrom's uniform number, but I suppose it could be for Granderson's apparent age.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Was going more for him seemingly (feels like it) going 4 for
48 in his recent AB's.

I'm least funny when I try to be!!

[Guest d'Kong76]

Home team a little tardy with a lineup.

[Frayed Knot]

d'Kong76 wrote: Home team a little tardy with a lineup.

They're checking on the advance sale to see whether or not they need to order Wright into the lineup.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Good one!

[Frayed Knot]

Vic Black likely to miss "a few more days", but the MRI on his neck showed only a slight herniation of a disk which is considered to be "no big deal".
And rosters can expand as soon as Sunday.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Lagares, CF
Granderson, RF
Wright, 3B
Duda, 1B
d'Arnaud, C
Campbell, LF
Flores, 2B
Tejada, SS
Niese, P

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: Vic Black likely to miss "a few more days", but the MRI on his neck showed only a slight herniation of a disk which is considered to be "no big deal". And rosters can expand as soon as Sunday.

Seems like a good plan to disable him anyways and call up a dude. Hitter or pitcher.

But what do I know?

[Guest d'Kong76]

Edgy MD wrote: But what do I know?

Best Twisted song...
P8KRfZhYlJY

[Zvon]

Braves threaten in the 1st but are turned away with a man on third. A single (Bonifacio) and bad throw by d' on a steal got him there, where he rotted on the vine.

Niese likes his curve tonight.

0-0 Mets

[Frayed Knot]

I've come to accept that opposing pitchers hit like .320 vs the Mets (except w/RiSP when they hit .450)
But what might be even worse is that I swear [u:11098dsk]back up catchers[/u:11098dsk] must be at at least .750
And this is not a recent phenomenon either, I'm talking about going back to the Eddie Perez days.

[ashie62]

The booth is forgetting one Mets CF who had a bid 1975...Del Unser...

[ashie62]

We are getting no hit.

[Guest themetfairy]

Thank goodness, that's no longer the case.

[Frayed Knot]

Ashie62 wrote: The booth is forgetting one Mets CF who had a bid 1975...Del Unser...

They mentioned him. Briefly, but that's about all he deserved.

We are getting no hit.

Not any more.

[Frayed Knot]

There's some danger of setting ourselves up for disappointment with all this talk about the Gold Glove for Lagares being virtually a done deal.
A poll of all ML managers just a few weeks ago in Baseball America didn't even list Lagares in the top 3 in the NL. McCutcheon, Gomez & Parra got the nods instead.

[ashie62]

Unser hit .294 with 154 hits on a bad 1975 team..

His Mets time was brief but I mentioned it cause nothing but Mookie was coming out of their traps....A platoon player..cmon...

[ashie62]

Frayed Knot wrote: There's some danger of setting ourselves up for disappointment with all this talk about the Gold Glove for Lagares being virtually a done deal. A poll of all ML managers just a few weeks ago in Baseball America didn't even list Lagares in the top 3 in the NL. McCutcheon, Gomez & Parra got the nods instead.

Name recognition.. not yet Lagares... I'm going with McCutcheon..

[Frayed Knot]

When it's managers doing the voting--which is true both for the official GG awards and in this more informal poll--name recognition should have nothing to do with it.

[ashie62]

Wright is specializing in the GIDP...

[Frayed Knot]

What's that, Wright 35th GiDP in August alone?

[Guest Trachsel My Tears]

Very quickly, Bonafacio triples in a run and then scores another one to make a very tight 1-0 game into an almost out-of-reach 3-0 lead for ATL.

[Zvon]

What did I miss? ugh.

Oh, all the Mets runs, which must be coming right up.