IGT Laborious Day Game Day 9/7 Mets vs Nats

[Fman99]

Niese vs Scherzer. Heroes vs Dickheads. Discuss.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Not crazy about the pitching match up for this game. I haven't liked Niese's recent starts. I am less confident with Niese on the mound than any of our other starters. I hope he pitches great tomorrow and makes me look bad for having expressed doubt in him.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think I'm going to skip this one. I'll even try to avoid knowing what the score is until it's over. My hunch is that Niese will give up some early runs and the Mets will make a futile attempt to scratch back. And I'm not interested in spending three hours watching that. Friday's and Sunday's games were too frustrating; I need to back off a bit. (Yeah, I know, "ya gotta believe" but sadly, right now I don't.)

If I eventually find out that the Mets won, I'll be very pleasantly surprised.

[Frayed Knot]

The Nats are finally playing the way most thought they would as the season started. With all their players, except for Denard Span, back in the everyday lineup they've won 11 of their last 15 and only two of those wins have been by less than 3 runs. And while they have been playing mostly chumps lately, so have we and they managed to hang tough in a series with StL even while losing 2 of 3 in some gut-punch games.

Bryce Harper is 9 for 15 w/3 HRs & 3 2Bs in September, and he'd probably have more but no one is pitching to him these days (9 walks in 6 games)
Also Ryan Zimmerman is hitting nearly .500 for the month w/3 HRs, Yunel Escobar is at .440 lately, and even Jayson Werth is back alive and breathing.

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: Jayson Werth is back alive and breathing.

That is unfortunate.
I look for the Mets to score some runs early and Niese doing his usual thing - trying to cough up the lead.


Later

[Guest d'Kong76]

GAME: New York Mets (75-61) at Washington Nationals (71-65)
DATE/TIME: Monday, September 07 - 1:05 PM EST
WHERE: Nationals Park, Washington, District of Columbia
LINE: 181, -197 TOTAL: 7.5
Covers Media Group Ltd.

The National League East race has heated up in a big way over the past week and it will now take center stage when the first-place New York Mets visit the suddenly streaking Washington Nationals for the first of three games on Monday. Washington, which trailed New York by 6 1/2 games as recently as Wednesday, has won five in a row to get within four of the Mets.

The Nationals' once-dormant offense erupted with 36 runs in a four-game sweep of hapless Atlanta over the weekend. While drama builds over the potential innings limit of Mets right-hander Matt Harvey - who is scheduled to pitch Tuesday in Washington - New York dropped two of three to Miami and both losses were of the walk-off variety. Sunday's 4-3 setback on a sacrifice fly in the ninth left the Mets 22-23 in one-run games, which has been the margin of victory in half of their 10 meetings with the Nationals. This is the last series between the teams in Washington but they close out the regular season with three potentially huge games in New York on Oct. 2-4.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), MASN2 (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Jonathon Niese (8-10, 4.17 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Max Scherzer (11-11, 2.89)

Niese has hit a rough patch with three straight rocky outings, giving up 18 runs in 16 1/3 innings. He was reached for six runs in five frames of a loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday, giving up a home run for the fifth straight start. The 28-year-old limited the Nationals to a run in seven innings earlier this season and owns a 3.19 ERA in 11 career encounters.

Scherzer posted an uncharacteristic 6.43 ERA in five starts last month but took a slight step forward in his first September outing Wednesday at St. Louis, scattering a season-high 11 hits while allowing two runs in six innings. He fanned 10 and did not walk a batter and has 18 punchouts with no free passes over his last two starts. The former first-round selection boasts 18 strikeouts while allowing just one earned run in 14 2/3 innings against the Mets this season.

WALK-OFFS:
1. New York OF Yoenis Cespedes on Sunday hit his 12th home run since Aug. 1 and he has 29 RBIs in 33 games with the Mets.
2. Nationals RF Bryce Harper has three straight multi-hit games (7-for-11), with a home run in each affair.
3. Mets RF Michael Cuddyer (right wrist tendinitis) was given a cortisone shot and is questionable to play Monday.

[Ceetar]

David Wright is going to hit three home runs today.

[Frayed Knot]

GRANDERSON - RF
WRIGHT - 3B
MURPHY - 1B
CESPEDES - CF
CONFORTO - LF
d'ARNAUD - C
JOHNSON - 2B
FLORES - SS
NIESE - P

[Frayed Knot]

WERTH - LF
RENDON - 2B
HARPER - RF
ZIMMERMAN - 1B
ESCOBAR - 3B
DESMON - SS
RAMOS - C
TAYLOR - CF
SCHERZER - P

[A Boy Named Seo]

I will not skip this game.
I will watch this game.

Because these are the types of games we dreamt about back in April, when hope was cheap and safe.

Niese may shit all over, and in the bed. And Scherzer might throw a 27-pitch perfect game.

Or it could be something other than that. It could be something good.

Happy Labor Day.

Kick some ass, Mets.

[Lefty Specialist]

I'm predicting the third as Niese's meltdown inning, where a double play doesn't get turned or a strike doesn't get called and he gives up 4 straight hits.

Will I watch? Yes, with Bromo-Seltzer at the ready.

[TransMonk]

I think it's great that the game today means something whether they win or lose.

That said, I hope to all goodness that they win.

[Edgy MD]

It would be so wonderful to win this. To think the Nats re-jiggered their rotation to throw Scherzer at the Mets today, while the Mets are re-jiggering their rotation to throw Harvey on ice. What a swing in morale a victory � dare I dream, a decisive victory � could provoke.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

My friend in Washington went to the Nats game the other night and described the atmosphere of being one for a team with no playoff hopes. I expressed incredulity at this since the Nats are nowhere near eliminated, but he stood by it. So in other words, at least among fan bases we have the upper hand. Let's kick 'em while they're down.

[Guest d'Kong76]

The Mets are playing today?
I have ants in my pants! Radio only today out back. I'm 6-1 in
radio-only-out-back games this season.

[Lefty Specialist]

The difference in excitement is that the Nats expected to cruise into the playoff as a WS favorite, only to find themselves playing mediocre baseball.

Mets fans had little to no expectations of the playoffs, and find themselves 4 games up. However those same fans are mindful of one of the more painful September collapses in major league history, and are acutely aware they've lost 2 1/2 games off their lead in the past 72 hours.

[Lefty Specialist]

Terry going with offense over defense by playing Flores at short and Johnson at second.

Cespedes batting cleanup.

Game time. Please put all sharp objects in a secure place.

[Edgy MD]

I like that lineup.

Would like it more with Du-da-da-da.

[Lefty Specialist]

Oy.

[Edgy MD]

Funny how both of these teams have turned to using TTO sluggers as leadoff hitters.

[Edgy MD]

Side, you're retired like Letterman.

[Zvon]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Oy.

I guess he would have been out but still...oy.

I was very surprised that Grandy didn't tag at full steam.


CONFORTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

#BeloitMindset Michael Conforto is too young to remember the September 2007 Mets collapse.

[Edgy MD]

Let the battery begin.

[Edgy MD]

Edgy MD wrote: Let the battery begin.

Johnson abides.

[nymr83]

Conforto!!! Johnson!!! Let's go Mets!!

[Zvon]

KELLYBYEEEEEEEEE!

2-0 Mets

[Edgy MD]

Somebody's coming all up and in on Flores. Baby. Scherzer. Baby.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Take him deep Niese!

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Set 'em down, Niese!