IGT 05/18 -- STL @ NYM

[Guest d'Kong76]

St. Louis at NY Mets
When: 7:10 PM ET, Monday, May 18, 2015
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
SportsDirect Inc.

The St. Louis Cardinals look to put an end to their offensive struggles when they visit the New York Mets on Monday for the opener of the four-game series between the division leaders. St. Louis, which sits atop the National League Central, avoided a three-game home sweep at the hands of Detroit by posting a 2-1 triumph on Sunday.

Kolten Wong snapped a 1-1 tie with a solo homer in the sixth inning for the Cardinals, who were held to fewer than four runs for the fifth time in seven contests. New York busted out offensively in victories over Milwaukee during the weekend, scoring 14 runs on Saturday and another five the following day after totaling 10 during its five-game losing streak. Curtis Granderson followed a 3-for-5 effort with his second home run in as many days on Sunday while Michael Cuddyer recorded two RBIs in both contests. The Mets also received strong pitching performances, limiting the Brewers to one run in each of the triumphs.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH John Lackey (2-2, 3.22 ERA) vs. Mets RH Matt Harvey (5-1, 2.31)

Lackey battled through control issues last time out but still ended up with the loss at Cleveland on Wednesday after allowing only two runs on five hits and five walks over 5 1/3 innings. The 36-year-old has given up three runs or fewer in each of his last four outings but is just 1-2 in that span. Lackey has made two career starts against New York, winning one while posting a 2.70 ERA.

Harvey couldn't have pitched much better against the Cubs on Wednesday but left Chicago without a victory despite striking out nine while scattering three hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings. It was a tremendous bounce-back effort by the 26-year-old, who had his season-opening five-start winning streak snapped at Philadelphia on May 8, when he allowed three runs in six frames. Harvey has yet to defeat the Cardinals in his career, losing both of his outings while yielding a total of four runs in 12 innings.

WALK-OFFS:
1. The Mets are a major league-best 15-4 at home this season.
2. Cardinals LHP Jaime Garcia (shoulder) is expected to make his season debut in the series finale on Thursday, when he will make his first start since June 20.
3. New York and St. Louis have the two lowest team ERAs in the majors, with the Cardinals leading the way at 2.87.

[G-Fafif]

Granderson � RF
Campbell � 3B
Duda � 1B
Cuddyer � LF
Murphy � 2B
Flores � SS
Plawecki � C
Harvey � RHP
Lagares � CF

[Guest d'Kong76]

Wong 2B
Carpenter 3B
Holliday LF
Peralta SS
Adams 1B
Molina C
Heyward RF
Grichuk CF
Lackey P

[TransMonk]

[Edgy MD]

Don't bunt like a chump today, OK, Harvey?

[Lefty Specialist]

[Frayed Knot]

Nats off today, so we'll either double our slim lead or eliminate it entirely all on our own.
They'll host the Yanx for three games starting Tuesday; trying to figure out a way to have both teams go 0-3 in those games but am drawing a blank so far.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: Nats off today, so we'll either double our slim lead or eliminate it entirely all on our own. They'll host the Yanx for three games starting Tuesday; trying to figure out a way to have both teams go 0-3 in those games but am drawing a blank so far.

best I can come up with is massive rain delay/power failure/something that causes the series to be postponed until later in the year, creating a schedule crunch for both of them that ends up hurting.

Or each game goes 18 innings and necessitates both teams having to call up an additional starter, or TWO!, to make a spot start.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think Met fans gotta root for the MFYs this week. But given that my rooting against them never works, maybe pull for Washington.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I think Met fans gotta root for the MFYs this week. But given that my rooting against them never works, maybe pull for Washington.

whatever happens it'll be tolerable if the Mets gain on both of them. So, sweep these ugly red birds.

[G-Fafif]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I think Met fans gotta root for the MFYs this week.

I don't think I know how to do that.

[Lefty Specialist]

I can't root for either team, but I can root for injuries.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Who do you guys have in Cossacks v. Banditos matchup in the Texas League?

[TransMonk]

ESPN sure loves those front-running match-ups. I hope the Mets mop the field with those Redbirds for all to see tonight.

[Edgy MD]

Just hoping we can live up to the classy standards of baseball's best fans (BBF).

[fimg=350:3sie2oz1]http://www.danzettwoch.com/prints/zettwoch_prints_images/pondscum.jpg[/fimg:3sie2oz1] [fimg=350:3sie2oz1]https://img0.etsystatic.com/030/0/6364874/il_570xN.551058506_d463.jpg[/fimg:3sie2oz1]
[fimg=350:3sie2oz1]http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1638/1270/400/pondscumcl.jpg[/fimg:3sie2oz1] [fimg=350:3sie2oz1]http://i3.cpcache.com/product/80431866/the_mets_are_pond_scum_mug.jpg?color=White&height=460&width=460&qv=90[/fimg:3sie2oz1]

[dgwphotography]

Edgy MD wrote: Just hoping we can live up to the classy standards of baseball's best fans (BBF). [fimg=350]http://www.danzettwoch.com/prints/zettwoch_prints_images/pondscum.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=350]https://img0.etsystatic.com/030/0/6364874/il_570xN.551058506_d463.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=350]http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1638/1270/400/pondscumcl.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=350]http://i3.cpcache.com/product/80431866/the_mets_are_pond_scum_mug.jpg?color=White&height=460&width=460&qv=90[/fimg]

To be honest, they weren't too far from the truth in regards to some of that team. They did have a group that called themselves the scum bunch....

[batmagadanleadoff]

Vince Coleman never misbehaved as a Cardinal.

[Frayed Knot]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I think Met fans gotta root for the MFYs this week.

Realistically, yeah. But, like Greg says, I don't know how to do that.

The basic reason is that the entire AL East seems fairly evenly matched; no one seems terrible over there but no one's all that good either. The winner there is likely to come down to who stays healthiest or gets luckiest.
But the Nats have the talent -- at least on paper -- to be able to run and hide if they open up a lead this early so the longer they can be kept back the less chance there is of that happening.

[ashie62]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Who do you guys have in Cossacks v. Banditos matchup in the Texas League?

I've heard it's becoming a doubleheader.

[nymr83]

I was about to just type "KKK" as Harvey struck out the side, but if I ever ran for office someone would come find this post and take it out of context. Harvey looking great, despite the ugly camouflage uniforms. Maybe. We should honor the armed forces by NOT making them look terrible.

[Edgy MD]

Nice rip by Campbell.

[Edgy MD]

A lot of short-haired, beardless Mets, suddenly.

Eight scoreless by the big guy.

[Frayed Knot]

Be nice to see a half dozen or more runs right about now.

[Edgy MD]

Choate has that Atchison thing going. A journeyman pitcher in his late 30s looking like he's 20 years older.

[Edgy MD]

It'd be a GREAT time to pinch-run Tejada for Flores.

[Edgy MD]

And... make me manager.

[Zvon]

WILMAAAA!

[Edgy MD]

Harvey final line: 8.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 SO

[Zvon]

I can't recall a more embarrassing pick-off of a Metropolitan.