IGT 5/24/15 NYM @ PIT: Pitch Like A Niese Used To Day

[G-Fafif]

Southpaws ahoy! Niese vs. Liriano. The smart money says go with the lefty.

Our lefty.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Now what? All of Niese's IGT's are claimed, as well?

[G-Fafif]

I found this one sitting by the curb.

[batmagadanleadoff]

You should check again. You probably picked up an old Oliver Perez IGT.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Now what? All of Niese's IGT's are claimed, as well?

How did this silly notion get started? Nothing has changed.

NY Mets at Pittsburgh
When: 1:35 PM ET, Sunday, May 24, 2015
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SportsDirect Inc.

Former National League MVP Andrew McCutchen has turned his season around over the past 2 1/2 weeks and looks to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a three-game sweep of the visiting New York Mets in Sunday's series finale. The Pirates have won 11 of the last 15 against New York after battering Mets ace Matt Harvey in Saturday's 8-2 victory.

McCutchen was languishing below the Mendoza line with a .188 batting average on May 6, but he is up to .253 after collecting three hits and coming up a triple shy of the cycle in Saturday's win. It was the sixth consecutive road loss for New York, which announced Saturday that third baseman David Wright is suffering from spinal stenosis and will be shut down for at least another week. Wright has been sidelined since April 14 and his absence puts more pressure on an offense that has produced two runs or fewer eight times in the last 12 games. New York sends Jon Niese to the hill to face Francisco Liriano in a matchup of left-handers who were shelled in their previous start.

TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), ROOT (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Jon Niese (3-4, 3.72 ERA) vs. Pirates LH Francisco Liriano (1-4, 4.15)

Niese is coming off a forgettable outing in which he was battered by St. Louis for eight runs and 11 hits over five-plus innings. It was the fourth defeat in the last five turns for Niese, who allowed one run or less in five of his first six starts this season. He is 3-1 with a 4.41 ERA in six career starts against the Pirates, but McCutchen is 5-for-13 with three doubles against him.

Liriano lost his third consecutive start with an ugly outing versus Minnesota on Tuesday, lasting only two innings and giving up seven runs on five hits. The 31-year-old Dominican permitted only seven runs over his first five starts of the season but registered only one victory in that span. Liriano has surrendered four homers in his last two starts and remains winless at home with an 0-3 mark and 7.45 ERA in four turns.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Pirates 3B Josh Harrison is 21-for-43 during a 10-game hitting streak.
2. Mets 2B Daniel Murphy is 6-for-11 over the past three games.
3. McCutchen set the PNC Park record with his 62nd homer Saturday.

[MFS62]

Things have gone in the terlet since the words "Opening Day" have vanished from the IGT titles.
Someone please change this one to something like "A Niese Opening Day in Pittsburgh".
The winning will start again, I betcha'.

But, who you calling superstitious?

Later

[G-Fafif]

Curtis Granderson - RF
Wilmer Flores - SS
Michael Cuddyer - 1B
Daniel Murphy - 2B
John Mayberry Jr. - LF
Anthony Recker - C
Darrell Ceciliani - CF
Ruben Tejada - 3B
Jonathon Niese - LHP

Duda tight hamstring; Lagares armpit soreness; Pirates severe overconfidence.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I noticed Duda grabbin' his leg a little yesterday... I don't think
anyone said anything about it though.

Harrison 2B
Tabata RF
McCutchen CF
Marte LF
Kang 3B
Rodriguez 1B
Cervelli C
Mercer SS
Liriano P

[G-Fafif]

Josh Harrison, 2B
Jose Tabata, RF
Andrew McCutchen, CF
Starling Marte, LF
Jung Ho Kang, 3B
Sean Rodriguez, 1B
Francisco Cervelli, C
Jordy Mercer, SS
Francisco Liriano, LHP

[TransMonk]

With that Mets lineup, Niese better be better than he has been of late.

A no-hitter would be nice...and possibly necessary.

[Lefty Specialist]

Well, even a no-hitter's not a guaranteed win these days.

[Lefty Specialist]

Off to a flying start with 2K's in the 1st.

[Lefty Specialist]

#lolmets

[Frayed Knot]

Forget hits with RiSP, at the moment I'd settle for Contact w/RiSP.

[Guest d'Kong76]

That F'n McCutch again!

[Edgy MD]

A Cervelli RBI. That's just insulting.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Flores really shoulda thrown to second on the previous play,
but I ain't gonna pick nits as the series is slowly slipping to
sweepsville....

[Edgy MD]

Mets are producing some K magic this weekend. And not in a good way.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Darrell Ceciliani has struck out in seven of his first nine at-bats, according to the booth. Not good.

[bmfc1]

d'Kong76 wrote: Flores really shoulda thrown to second on the previous play, but I ain't gonna pick nits as the series is slowly slipping to sweepsville....

That's not a nit-pick. It's basic baseball knowledge ("fundies") and Flores doesn't have it.

[Frayed Knot]

And now Tejada does the same from 3B!!
Is this some sort of new "strategy" where we simply decided not to go after any lead runners? Maybe they made that choice at the same time they decided not to try and throw out base stealers.

[Edgy MD]

I liked us against the East better.

[Frayed Knot]

They are making a very mediocre team look like world beaters this weekend.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Aw hell. Well, I'm going to turn this one off.

[Edgy MD]

Cervelli with three hits.

CERVELLI!

[Frayed Knot]

Ks in this series: [crossout:2qsbb264]34-18[/crossout:2qsbb264] Whoops, there's goes Campbell: 35-18
Guess which one is ours

[Edgy MD]

Well, ending the game on a whiff was... appropriate.

[Frayed Knot]

So now that Tejada have his yearly HR, I guess this means we can expect his next 75 ABs are going to consist of him muscling up and hitting medium-deep fly-outs to the OF.

[ashie62]

As a fix I am in favor of signing McGehee for 3B and pursuing Tulowitzi.

Wouldn't mind if Terry got axed either. Something has to give sooner rather than later.

[Edgy MD]

He hit five homers last year.

I leave this series somehow rooting for more Tejada, not less.