IGT Tuesday Sep 8 Mets vs Nats Kill KILL KILL

[Fman99]

Harvey day. Chance to bury these humps a game deeper in the standings. Jordan Zimmmermmannn on the hill for the home team.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

It will be totally hilarious if Harvey pitches a complete game shutout now. Also, awesome, but hilarious with all the shit going-on about innings limits.

[Zvon]

Biggest game of his life.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Zvon wrote: Biggest game of his life.

eh. We took all the pressure off this fat douchebag yesterday, especially with a superior and less self-obsessed teammate to clean up if necessary on Wednesday.

Matt Hovvey can go shove a Bat-boomerang up his Batcave, if you know what I mean.

[Guest themetfairy]

Mets � Willets Point wrote: It will be totally hilarious if Harvey pitches a complete game shutout now. Also, awesome, but hilarious with all the shit going-on about innings limits.

D-Dad's scenario has Terry pulling Harvey after six no-hit innings because, well, you know - inning limits.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Biggest game of his life.

Yes, it is the biggest game of his life. And thanks to him and his agent, he'll be taking the mound surrounded by a big stinky fart cloud.

I never liked the Batman stuff for Harvey, but now it seems even more stupid than ever. I think this character is more appropriate:

[Lefty Specialist]

Funny how they always wind up killing a night watchman.

I'm totally down with Terry pulling Harvey after 6 or 7 no-hit innings. It would be so priceless.It would also up his trade value.

So convergence of interests here. Harvey wants to prove he's not a douche and he's really a warrior to be counted on. Boras wants to repair Harvey's damaged image. The Mets trying to put the Nats a little further in the rear view.

However, I'm guessing Matt goes splat. Gives up a few runs early and throws too many pitches. Bullpen net won't be there this time to bail him out like they bailed out Niese, who may suck but at least puts his heart into it.

And we move on to Wednesday, hoping it's not a bad Hair day.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Guest

[Guest d'Kong76]

H: "But Skip, I'm perfect through six!"
C: "Sorry, Scott just texted me; time to pull you. Ice up."

GAME: New York Mets (76-61) at Washington Nationals (71-66)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, September 08 - 7:05 PM EST
WHERE: Nationals Park, Washington, District of Columbia
LINE: 104, -113 TOTAL: 7
Covers Media Group Ltd.

Matt Harvey caused a stir when he put pen to paper to announce in The Players' Tribune that he intends to pitch in the postseason, despite having doctors recommend that he be shut down after 180 innings. The 26-year-old resides just 13 2/3 shy of that total in his first season since Tommy John surgery as the New York Mets play the second contest of their three-game series versus the host Washington Nationals on Tuesday.

"Let me get into detail after we've sort of worked it out among the parties," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. "I don't want to get ahead of the situation and create another disconnect." New York slugged its way to an 8-5 series-opening victory to move five games ahead of second-place Washington in the National League East. Ryan Zimmermann had a pair of singles on Monday to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, but is just 4-for-17 (.235) in his career versus Harvey. The right-hander has flustered Bryce Harper by retiring the Nationals star in all 17 career at-bats, including seven via strikeout.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), MASN2 (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Matt Harvey (12-7, 2.60 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Jordan Zimmermann (12-8, 3.38)

Harvey improved to 4-0 in his last seven starts on Wednesday after allowing four runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 9-4 triumph over Philadelphia. The seventh overall pick of the 2010 draft, Harvey's run total versus the Phillies matched his complete tally of his previous six games (41 2/3 frames). Harvey has handcuffed the Nationals (3-2, 0.99 ERA and 0.88 WHIP) in his career, permitting three earned runs and 18 hits in 27 2/3 innings to post a 2-1 mark in four meetings this season.

Zimmermann recorded his fourth straight victory in as many outings after allowing one run on two hits in six innings of a 15-1 rout of Atlanta on Thursday. The 29-year-old has benefited from a power surge by his own team, which has amassed 44 runs in his last four starts. Zimmermann dominated the Mets in his season-opening debut, yielded three runs in seven innings in the next meeting before getting taken deep three times and surrendering five runs total in a 5-2 setback on Aug. 2.

WALK-OFFS:
1. New York OF Yoenis Cespedes has homered in back-to-back contests and five times during his six-game hitting streak.
2. Washington C Wilson Ramos belted a grand slam to improve to 1-for-13 in his last four contests on the heels of an 11-game hitting streak.
3. New York has won eight of its 14 meetings with Washington this season - including four of seven at Nationals Park.

[Ceetar]

The lawyer and amateur doctor storyline stuff is not particularly interesting to me. Harvey's a good pitcher. The Nats can be beaten. beat them. Put the division back squarely in "Nats don't control their own destiny" territory again, which happens with a win in either of these games.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm not completely disabused of Operation: Torn Rotator Cuff as blurted out in a moment of incredulous passion in another thread. Yes, that would be a Net Suck but it would also remove Harvey from gumming up any more progress. I mean, if a guy is going to be out then he may as well be hurt (Maybe, Operation: Strained Groin would be better). But, I got no interest in reading Derek Jeter's website to know if a guy is available on a certain day.

[Centerfield]

Biggest game of his life. Yes, it is the biggest game of his life. And thanks to him and his agent, he'll be taking the mound surrounded by a big stinky fart cloud. I never liked the Batman stuff for Harvey, but now it seems even more stupid than ever. I think this character is more appropriate:

Or Two-Face.

[Edgy MD]

Lots of interesting subplots.

[*:66b9tekf]There's just something so fucking Clemens about a guy massaging his own narrative to make himself appear to be a warrior while measuring on a daily basis what the minimum requirement is that he has to do in order to plausibly claim to be a warrior. Is he going to go all eye black today? I'd really like Harvey to grow up a little today. Nitz to the Batman stuff.

[/*:m:66b9tekf]
[*:66b9tekf]What about the quick pitch controversy? Is that still a bug up Zimmerman's butt? Would Zimmerman have cared at all if it wasn't for the previous quick pitch controversy? Is he just jumping on a Robles-is-a-dick bandwagon? Robles is probably scratched today, but maybe somebody else gets all quicky on them. I bet Clippard has a chip on his shoulder.

[/*:m:66b9tekf]
[*:66b9tekf]And where does this leave Wright? Not since the great Knight-Davis brawl has a guy been so positioned as the team's enemy when he's close offseason buds with the team's best player.

[/*:m:66b9tekf]
[*:66b9tekf]Duda back in this lineup. If he comes back with his timing intact, then it's all over, isn't it?[/*:m:66b9tekf][/list:o:66b9tekf]

[ashie62]

Harvey will be pulled at the first sign of trouble.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'd say the first sign of trouble happened a few days ago.

[Ceetar]

Ashie62 wrote: Harvey will be pulled at the first sign of trouble.

no he won't, he's one of their best pitchers and you trust him more than most, if not all, the relievers.

[TransMonk]

If Harvey and the Mets win today, I'm OK with shutting him down for the rest of the regular season* if it means he could pitch more in an eventual postseason.

*Unless the Nats are still hanging around during that last regular season series at Citi (which would become a "postseason" series anyway).

[Benjamin Grimm]

A win today doesn't mean that the lead won't be back down to two or three games a week and a half from now.

But Harvey hasn't exactly been a sure-thing this year anyway. The Mets have lost 40% of the games he's started. Their record in games that he's started isn't significantly better than it is in games started by others. (I do realize that may be more of a reflection on the "others" than on Harvey.)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Harvey wants to start? Harvey wants to manage innings limits? Harvey wants to have his ego stroked?

Have him strike out the side in the first, then hand the game over to Verrett. He gets to leave to applause, and scowl and everything!

He wants a nickname? I'm calling him Millennial Clemens, this one.

[Gwreck]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: The Mets have lost 40% of the games he's started. Their record in games that he's started isn't significantly better than it is in games started by others. (I do realize that may be more of a reflection on the "others" than on Harvey.)

There are 3 additional games that the Mets lost but were not Harvey's fault:
1. There was a 1-0 loss to Atlanta on June 21
2. There was a loss to Chicago on May 13: Harvey left after 7 innings with a 1-0 lead; bullpen gave up 2 runs en route to a 2-1 loss
3. There was a 6-4 loss to Boston on August 28 where Harvey left leading 2-0 after 6 and the game was lost in extras.

[G-Fafif]

Dilson Herrera will be wearing No. 16, because he grew up on the legend of Doc Gooden. Or because Danny Muno wasn't using it.

[G-Fafif]

Granderson RF
Cespedes CF
Murphy 2B
Wright 3B
Duda 1B
d'Arnaud C
Conforto LF
Flores SS
Harvey P

That's a good-looking lineup. Hope it isn't shut out.

[G-Fafif]

Werth LF
Rendon 2B
Harper RF
Escobar 3B
Robinson 1B
Desmond SS
Ramos C
Taylor CF
Zimmermann P

[Guest d'Kong76]

G-Fafif wrote: That's a good-looking lineup.

It really is, let's keep everyone healthy during this sweep.

[Frayed Knot]

We can mock Terry for over-doing the righty/lefty thing (and for the record I agree that he does overdo it at times) but this sort of alternating lineup forced Matt Williams into a bunch of moves on Monday which, even if they had worked, would have left him with a short pen in a tie game. And with statistical analysis arguing against the notion that there's some sort of synergistic alchemy to any specific lineup or that the notion of direct "protection" is likely a lark, the marching army set-up [Left - Right - Left - Right ...] is as good an idea to hang your hat on as any.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't object at all to the alternating lineup. I think it makes sense.

[G-Fafif]

Last everybody-is-imposing lineup that comes to mind, July 23, 2006 (I looked up the particulars datewise, but these were the guys I was thinking of):

Reyes SS
Lo Duca C
Beltran CF
Delgado 1B
Wright 3B
Floyd LF
Valentin 2B
Nady RF
Pelfrey P

OK, maybe not Pelf.

Once Nady was gone and replaced by Green, it wasn't quite the same. By the following year, Alou when he was available was more potent than 2006 Floyd, but he wasn't available much. And Lo Duca fell off. And Valentin fell off and eventually was out for the year.

And so on until today, so I can't say I examined every lineup of every year. But mostly I hope tonight's comes through tonight and establishes a new benchmark.

[Ceetar]

I object to Granderson leadoff, as I have all year. Leadoff home runs feel like they're wasting guys on base. Tejada, the prime candidate to leadoff given high OBP low SLG, isn't playing, but Murphy and Wright both are, right now, candidates.

I realize it's nit-picking and a marginal run-scoring adjustment isn't really a big deal to the Mets offense right now, but hey, I'd rather nit-pick lineups than murky quotes about what doctors have said about ligaments.

[ashie62]

I like tonights lineup and also like in general what Terry has done with the extra pieces at his disposal now.

[batmagadanleadoff]

G-Fafif wrote: Last everybody-is-imposing lineup that comes to mind, July 23, 2006 (I looked up the particulars datewise, but these were the guys I was thinking of): Reyes SS Lo Duca C Beltran CF Delgado 1B Wright 3B Floyd LF Valentin 2B Nady RF Pelfrey P OK, maybe not Pelf. Once Nady was gone and replaced by Green, it wasn't quite the same. By the following year, Alou when he was available was more potent than 2006 Floyd, but he wasn't available much. And Lo Duca fell off. And Valentin fell off and eventually was out for the year. And so on until today, so I can't say I examined every lineup of every year. But mostly I hope tonight's comes through tonight and establishes a new benchmark.

Though blessed with baseball's most potent lineup, all the idiot manager ever wanted to do was have Lo Duca make an intentional out that might move Reyes up one base.

[Frayed Knot]

I object to Granderson leadoff, as I have all year. Leadoff home runs feel like they're wasting guys on base. Tejada, the prime candidate to leadoff given high OBP low SLG, isn't playing, but Murphy and Wright both are, right now, candidates. I realize it's nit-picking and a marginal run-scoring adjustment isn't really a big deal to the Mets offense right now, but hey, I'd rather nit-pick lineups than murky quotes about what doctors have said about ligaments.

Yes, the not-everyday-ness of Tejada helps to keep him out of leadoff consideration as I think that's the one spot that Terry -- and pretty much every manager -- would like to keep consistent. Also I suspect his OBP wouldn't be as high as it is if he were moved from the lower spots in the lineup (fewer IWs and pitch-arounds) and stats do bear that out even if in limited samples and questionable correlation [.395 batting 7th, vs .330 or less everywhere else].

Meanwhile, Murphy is never going to be a great OBP guy (36 points behind Granderson now and even more since CF shamed Grandy into not sucking). And while Grandy may have more power than a healthy Wright in stadiums not named YSIII, given the choice I'd opt for the more walks up top with the more hits guy trying to drive him in rather than the other way around.

Bottom line: ideally Grandy probably should bat somewhere else. Except that we don't have a real leadoff guy; he's OPB-ing nearly .390 since the ASB; you only lead off once per game anyway; and on Terry's pitcher hitting 8th days he often winds up batting after Tejada anyway once past the 1st inning.