IGT 05/09 - Mets at Phillies

[Guest d'Kong76]

NY Mets at Philadelphia
When: 7:05 PM ET, Saturday, May 9, 2015
Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SportsDirect Inc.

Ryan Howard is beginning to get hot for the Philadelphia Phillies and is helping to make up for the struggles of Chase Utley. Both Howard and Utley could find themselves on the bench against left-hander Jonathon Niese when the Phillies host the New York Mets again on Saturday.

Howard smacked a home run off Matt Harvey and drove in a pair as the Phillies took the opener 3-1 on Friday, and the former MVP is 5-for-7 with a pair of home runs in his last two starts. Howard sat out the last time Philadelphia faced a left-hander and Utley, who went 0-for-4 on Friday to drop his batting average to .099, has been getting plenty of time off of late. The Mets have some offensive problems of their own and have scored one or no runs in three of the last five games. The New York pitching staff, which has surrendered three or fewer runs in each of the last six contests, is keeping the team in games.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, WPIX (New York), CSN Philadelphia

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Jonathon Niese (2-2, 2.40 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Aaron Harang (3-2, 2.35)

Niese came out on the wrong end of a 1-0 decision against Washington last Saturday, allowing the lone run on nine hits in seven innings to absorb the loss. The 28-year-old has yielded one earned run in four of his five outings in 2015. One of those turns came against the Phillies on April 15, when Niese scattered nine hits and one run in 6 1/3 innings.

Harang has just as many starts with one or no earned runs allowed as Niese, and he is coming off a win at Atlanta on Monday. The veteran snapped a two-start winless streak by yielding five hits and a walk in six innings against the Braves. Harang came out on the bad end of a 2-0 final at New York on April 13, when he allowed one run in six innings but suffered the loss.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Utley is 3-for-32 in his career against Niese.
2. Philadelphia SS Freddy Galvis picked up his first two stolen bases of the season on Friday.
3. New York CF Juan Lagares is 0-for-12 in the last three games.

[G-Fafif]

Win, damn youse!

Curtis Granderson - RF
Juan Lagares - CF
Lucas Duda - 1B
Michael Cuddyer - LF
Daniel Murphy - 3B
Kevin Plawecki - C
Dilson Herrera - 2B
Ruben Tejada - SS
Jonathon Niese - LHP

[Guest d'Kong76]

Revere, LF
Galvis, SS
Ruf, 1B
Francoeur, RF
Hernandez, 2B
Ruiz, C
Herrera, CF
Blanco, 3B
Harang, P

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Time for some Murphy Magic!

That's a thing, right?

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Guess not.

[Frayed Knot]

Lagares has to cut down on his hits in the air. I think he's liking too many of those up-in-his-eyes pitches.

[Edgy MD]

Gary is totally overselling Lagares' arm.

[Edgy MD]

Shame, shame, tied the game.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Drat.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Frayed Knot wrote: Lagares has to cut down on his hits in the air. I think he's liking too many of those up-in-his-eyes pitches.

Like a midget with an oral fixation?

[Edgy MD]

Watching Niese collapse in that awful chrome insignia makes me very sad.

[Edgy MD]

First thought: "Got to pinch-hit for Niese. Mets need to get some offense going."

Second thought: "Although who on the bench is hitting better than Niese?"

Third thought: "GO, NIESE!!"

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Well, Lagares put that one high into the air.

[Gwreck]

Frayed Knot wrote: Lagares has to cut down on his hits in the air. I think he's liking too many of those up-in-his-eyes pitches.

Lagares to FK: maybe not.

---
Edit: I do agree, though. More line drives please.

Edited May 9, 2015 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

THERE 'TIS!!

[Edgy MD]

Gwreck wrote: Lagares has to cut down on his hits in the air. I think he's liking too many of those up-in-his-eyes pitches. Lagares to FK: maybe not. --- Edit: I do agree, though. More line drives please.

I don't know. I was thinking Laggy might be the one to crack Harangatang (Met #966) Too many fly balls in this park will catch up to you. And he's strong and gets on top of high pitches.

[Edgy MD]

Niese was so efficient there, he may come out for the eighth if he doesn't come to the plate here.

[Edgy MD]

Garcia's slider is eating up his catcher.

[Edgy MD]

Bob McClure, Met #403 visiting the mound.

[Lefty Specialist]

The Mets come up with highly inventive ways to not score runs.

[Edgy MD]

The armored headband doesn't match the hat.

And the insignia... ugh.

[Edgy MD]

Los Torreses digging a deep hole for Buddy..

[Edgy MD]

FUCK YOU, DEEP HOLE!!!!!!

[Frayed Knot]

8th inning, Bags-Loaded, 1-out GiDPs are on a 2-fer-1 special in Philly tonight.
Buy one, get one.

[Lefty Specialist]

Ruben having himself a night tonight.

[Edgy MD]

If you've gotta face Howard, try not to do it with somebody on base, Jeurys.

[Gwreck]

Edgy MD wrote: If you've gotta face Howard, try not to do it with somebody on base, Jeurys.

Game-ending GIDP would be fine too.

[Edgy MD]

Freakin' Utley. His career is collapsing around him... except against the Mets.

[Edgy MD]

Four lefties in the ninth. Wish we had a Blevins.

[Lefty Specialist]