IGT #126 TOW The Free Baserunners

[Ceetar]

Word on the street is the Phillies, disheartened by being utterly dismantled by the Mets this season, plan to spot the Mets a baserunner by drilling Murphy.

Bartolo Colon versus 2nd start ever Jerad Eickhoff.

Expect Wright to sit.

[nymr83]

if the Phillies drill Murphy the Mets should respond by drilling Larry Bowa... with a baseball bat to the face the first time he leaves the dugout.

[Guest d'Kong76]

NY Mets at Philadelphia
When: 7:05 PM ET, Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SportsDirect Inc.

Yoenis Cespedes has been swinging a red-hot bat and the majority of the New York Mets have followed suit. With five homers during the team's five-game winning streak, Cespedes looks to continue the Mets' dominance of the Philadelphia Phillies when the National League East rivals play the third contest of their four-game series on Wednesday.

After capping New York's franchise-best eight-homer performance in Monday's 16-7 rout, Cespedes added a two-run shot the following night in a 6-5 victory. The 2013 and 2014 Home Run Derby champion has ignited the Mets, who have recorded 55 runs during their winning streak and have outscored the Phillies 65-34 en route to winning 10 of the 11 meetings this season. While first-place New York remained 5 1/2 games ahead of second-place Washington, Philadelphia regained sole possession of last place after losing two straight following a three-game winning streak. Ryan Howard has homered in back-to-back contests to run his career total to 44 blasts in 156 career meetings with New York, but the 35-year-old is just 4-for-19 with two homers and seven RBIs against Wednesday starter Bartolo Colon.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Bartolo Colon (10-11, 4.90 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Jerad Eickhoff (1-0, 0.00)

Colon was blitzed in his second shortest outing of the season, allowing seven runs on nine hits - including three homers - in 3 2/3 innings against Colorado on Friday. The 42-year-old, who is just 1-7 in his last 11 outings, has permitted eight homers in his last six trips to the mound after yielding just 14 in his previous 18. Colon looks to rebound versus Philadelphia, against which he improved to 6-3 in his career with a pair of wins following six-inning starts in May.

Eickhoff had quite the major-league debut on Friday, scattering five hits over six scoreless innings in a 7-1 triumph over Miami. The 25-year-old aided his cause with a two-run single in the fourth inning, becoming the first starting pitcher in team history to drive in multiple runs in his first career game. Eickhoff struck out five against the Marlins after fanning 126 in 133 1/3 innings across two minor-league levels this season.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Philadelphia 3B Andres Blanco is 13-for-32 with seven runs scored during his eight-game hitting streak.
2. Mets C Travis d'Arnaud, who was originally signed by the Phillies, is 8-for-18 with two homers and seven RBIs during his last four games.
3. Philadelphia OF Domonic Brown is 4-for-9 with a homer and three RBIs in the series after going 1-for-21 in his previous 10 contests.

[Lefty Specialist]

Rookie they've never seen before. Danger, Will Robinson.

A fly ball pitcher like Bartolo could be problematic the way balls are flying out of CBP this week.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yeah, this game could be trouble. Bartolo does have some good days. We have to hope that this will be one of them.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Sweeney, 2B
Galvis, SS
Herrera, CF
Howard, 1B
Blanco, 3B
Asche, LF
Rupp, C
Brown, RF
Eickhoff, P

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think they should give Ryan Howard a couple of days off. Next week too.

[Guest d'Kong76]

@cgrand3 RF
@ynscspds CF
Murphy 2B
@mcuddy23 1B
Flores SS
@mconforto8 LF
Uribe 3B
@Anthony_Recker C
Colon P

@kcmets #cpftoocool

[Frayed Knot]

d'Kong76 wrote: Sweeney, 2B Galvis, SS Herrera, CF Howard, 1B Blanco, 3B Asche, LF Rupp, C Brown, RF Eickhoff, P

Darnell Sweeney is one of the two minor leaguers they got from the Dodgers in the Utley deal.
24 y/o, had some decent numbers in the minors, especially so for 13th round draft pick from 2012.
Steals a lot (though not great %s), K's a lot (though is cutting down). IOW, a typical young player.
Made his ML debut last week, 1-5 w/3 BBs so far.

[ashie62]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Rookie they've never seen before. Danger, Will Robinson. A fly ball pitcher like Bartolo could be problematic the way balls are flying out of CBP this week.

Have to agree.

22-18 Mets?

[Edgy MD]

Folks, we've got three first-inning runzzz.

[Edgy MD]

And T-Recks whiffs with the bags juiced and one out.

Brace yourselves for Grand Slam Bart.

[Edgy MD]

Not a bad bid, Grand Slam Bart.

[Lefty Specialist]

Okay, that's a good start. Would have liked to pile on, but you can't have everything.

[Frayed Knot]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Okay, that's a good start. Would have liked to pile on, but you can't have everything.

Yeah, considering that we didn't exactly smack the ball all over the park, we were kind of lucky to get as many as 3 thx to the error.
They probably hit Bart harder than we hit their guy. On the other hand we did make him throw almost 3 innings worth of pitches in that 1st so that could pay off later on.

[Frayed Knot]

And now we've given most of that advantage back by going out very quickly in innings 2 & 3

[Lefty Specialist]

Hm. Hope they didn't let this guy off the hook, because I don't trust Bartolo.

[Edgy MD]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Hm. Hope they didn't let this guy off the hook, because I don't trust Bartolo.

I trust him enough. Certainly trust those last two strikeouts.

[Edgy MD]

Took a lot of pitches, but he got out of that muddy spot.

Mongo stay with Sheriff Bart.

[Frayed Knot]

This is looking more and more like we got real fortunate in that 1st inning (between the error and the seeing-eye singles) cuz we ain't done doodley-squat since.

[Zvon]

Colon batted in the 7th? I like.
But one friggin bump I'd pull him. Do not even allow him to put two on.

[Lefty Specialist]

Yes, super-short leash, please. But nice strikeout to start things off.

[Guest d'Kong76]

New here, happy as all pee to see Colon still chuckin' and
Mets still ruckin' ...

[Frayed Knot]

Was that just a 3 K/9 pitch inning?

[Lefty Specialist]

Ha. 7 shutout innings. Who'da thunk it.

And he strikes out the side. Hilarious.

[Zvon]

Frayed Knot wrote: Was that just a 3 K/9 pitch inning?

twas. Wow.

[Zvon]

CuddBoom.

If Cudd comes alive and Duda's back stops barkin' we will be unstoppable!

[Zvon]

Uh-O'Flarherty will get the 8th.

6-0 Mets.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Here's hoping even O'Flaherty can't screw up this game.

[Zvon]

Nats are trying to comeback in their game, down by a run.