IGT 05/19 -- STL @ NYM

[Guest d'Kong76]

St. Louis at NY Mets
When: 7:10 PM ET, Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
SportsDirect Inc.

The New York Mets attempt to record their fourth consecutive victory when they host the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday for the second contest of the four-game series between the division leaders. After the Cardinals forged a 1-1 tie in the ninth inning on Monday, pinch-hitter John Mayberry Jr. delivered an infield single with the bases loaded in the 14th to lift New York to its third win in a row.

The National League East-leading Mets continue to get strong performances from their pitching staff, which has held the opposition to one run in each game during the winning streak. Yadier Molina collected a third of the nine hits and Jason Heyward lifted a sacrifice fly for St. Louis, which resides atop the NL Central. The Cardinals' offensive woes continued as they were held to fewer than four runs for the sixth time in the last eight overall games. They particularly have struggled on the road, scoring a total of three runs in their last three contests away from home.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (5-0, 2.06 ERA) vs. Mets LH Jon Niese (3-3, 2.49)

Wacha was forced to settle for a no-decision at Cleveland on Thursday despite allowing just one run in five innings. The 23-year-old has given up fewer than three earned runs in six of his seven starts this season and has yet to issue more than two walks in an outing. Wacha has pitched well against New York in his brief major-league career, going 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA while striking out 21 over 16 frames in three turns.

Niese suffered his third loss in four starts on Thursday, when he surrendered six runs - four earned - in 6 1/3 innings at the Chicago Cubs. It was a rare subpar effort by the 28-year-old, who has given up fewer than two earned runs in five of his seven outings this season. Niese owns a 4-2 record and 2.27 ERA in seven career starts versus St. Louis.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Mets 3B David Wright, who went down with a strained hamstring on April 14, resumed baseball activities on Monday as he continues to battle back from a strained lower back.
2. St. Louis CF Randal Grichuk struck out five times in the series opener - becoming the first Cardinal to accomplish the dubious feat since 1998, when Ray Lankford did it on three different occasions.
3. New York RHP Jeurys Familia suffered his first blown save on Monday after converting his first 13 opportunities of the season.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Bourjos CF
Grichuk RF
Holliday LF
Peralta SS
Molina C
Reynolds 1B
Wong 2B
Kozma 3B
Wacha P

[TransMonk]

Granderson RF
Campbell 3B
Duda 1B
Cuddyer LF
Murphy 2B
Flores SS
Recker C
Niese LHP
Lagares CF

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Consecutive hits in the first and perfectly-run smallball in the second give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the second.

Slightly sloppy D isn't helping. I mean, it hasn't been bad, really... just not clockwork-precise.

[ashie62]

2-0 Cards Bottom two.

[ashie62]

Juan just missed and threw a lollipop back. Leadoff Triple.

[ashie62]

3-0

[Edgy MD]

You don't get to see a popup drop in front of Laggy very often.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

What are the odds against a pop-out-of-Laggy's-glove play and a bloop in front of Laggy... in the same inning?

[ashie62]

Kinda a Murphy's law half inning.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Lagares takes out his frustrations on Wacha's glove hand.

Quick! Tag him while his hand's buzzing, guys!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

MURPHY. UTLEYED.

4-2.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

And now he's giggling in the dugout. Giggling.

[Ceetar]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: And now he's giggling in the dugout. Giggling.

gif that please.

[Edgy MD]

Tejadadada woulda had that.

[Centerfield]

Why was Niese left in the game to face Wong?

I'm having trouble figuring out who sucks more. Terry or Jon.

[Frayed Knot]

Wacha's had more successful bunts in this game than the Mets have had over the last three years running.

[Frayed Knot]

Centerfield wrote: Why was Niese left in the game to face Wong?

The lone LHB in the lineup.

[Zvon]

Muffy, you're amazing. AMAZINGLY STUPID! I've been watching baseball for almost 50 years. I have never seen a team screw up fielding a bunt in that way. Incredible.

This game is gone, G'bye. 9-2 Cards.

[Edgy MD]

I dunno what's in that Book of Cardinal Fundies that Keith was talking about, but the second baseman charging the squeeze bunt probably isn't there.

[ashie62]

10-2

Well, the Yankees are up 6-5 mid-game anyway.

Tomorrow is another day.

Later.

[Frayed Knot]

Muffy reminds me of the old ODD COUPLE line where Oscar tells Felix that whenever he tries to help he winds up making the situation worse. "You're like a vicious Saint Bernard"

[Frayed Knot]

Ashie62 wrote: Well, the Yankees are up 6-5 mid-game anyway.

6-6 now.
Turns out that's only a two-game series so I've decided I'm rooting for a split.
Right now they're staging a HR contest down in DC: Teixeira, Desmond, Ramos, and, yes, Harper.
No ARod w/o the DH

[ashie62]

Poop.

[Zvon]

Frayed Knot wrote: Muffy reminds me of the old ODD COUPLE line where Oscar tells Felix that whenever he tries to help he winds up making the situation worse. "You're like a vicious Saint Bernard"

lol. I have noticed that when Murphy screws up he does it so aggressively. No half measures. He's totally committed. A good quality in a ball player (who does the right things).

[Zvon]

Gratz 2 Ceciliani. 1st MLB hit, a chopper over the pitcher.

[Ceetar]

I don't think they're pulling this one out.

[Centerfield]

What's pathetic is how quietly the batters went the rest of the game. This team has no fire. No pride.

[Edgy MD]

Leatherboy, you just walked the mailman.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm a little concerned about Niese. Appeared he'd been fortunate early and now his luck run out. Especially discouraging to see him crap all over Muffy's modest attempt to get him back into the game.