IGT 4/20/16 NYM @ PHI: See You In Hellickson

[G-Fafif]

[youtube:18nyjxp3]qP68A2sTV80[/youtube:18nyjxp3]

Tryin' to sweep three in the shadow of William Bell's cousin Liberty. Bartolo for us. Hell(ickson) for them. Let's feature many hit singles, doubles, triples and, specialty of the house, homers.

[metirish]

Hellisckson is such a great name for a pitcher, if that pitchers throws high heat...does he?

[Guest d'Kong76]

NY Mets at Philadelphia
When: 7:05 PM ET, Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SportsDirect Inc.

The 2016 New York Mets are hardly the 1927 New York Yankees, but their recent success - particularly against the Philadelphia Phillies - certainly suggests otherwise. The Mets look to continue their mashing in Philadelphia on Wednesday when the teams conclude their three-game series.

New York enters Wednesday's action with 10 home runs in the series, compared to 16 total hits for Philadelphia, in winning the first two games by a combined 16-3 score. Neil Walker has three homers in the series, while David Wright and Lucas Duda have two apiece for the Mets, who have hit 28 home runs in their last 12 games at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has lost four of its last five games with those defeats coming by a combined margin of 33-5. The Phillies will aim to avoid a sweep behind Jeremy Hellickson, while the Mets turn to veteran Bartolo Colon, who will become the second-winningest Dominican pitcher if he can record his 220th victory Wednesday.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Bartolo Colon (1-1, 2.13 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Jeremy Hellickson (1-1, 4.30)

Colon made his first start of the season against Philadelphia on April 9 and took a hard-luck loss after allowing one run in six innings. He struck out seven without issuing a walk that day and has struck out 13 against only one walk this year in 12 2/3 innings. Ryan Howard has homered three times against Colon but is just 6-for-26 against him.

Hellickson pitched well in his first two starts, including a 5 2/3-inning effort against the Mets on April 10 in which he yielded two runs and three hits. He is coming off his worst start of 2016 - a 9-1 defeat to Washington in which he gave up six runs over three frames. Curtis Granderson, who is 3-for-20 with seven strikeouts against Hellickson, could get the night off against the former American League Rookie of the Year.

WALK-OFFS:
1. The Mets have hit 17 Kabooms! over their last five games.
2. The Phillies have gone nine straight games without scoring more than three runs.
3. New York SS Asdrubal Cabrera had his six-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday when he was the only Mets starter without a hit.

[Centerfield]

Hellickson pitched well against the Mets the first time around. Hope they can get to him today.

I'm probably overstating things, but I feel like tonight is a pretty big game. If they can win tonight, this could springboard them into a nice little run.

The pitching matchups for the Atlanta series are downright unfair. WINNING STREAK!

[TransMonk]

Centerfield wrote: If they can win tonight, this could springboard them into a nice little run.

Not for nothin', but 5 out of the last 6 already feels like a nice little run after that first week of the season. A win tonight could propel them to a nice BIG run heading to Atlanta who have issues of their own.

[G-Fafif]

New York's Favorites

RF Granderson
3B Wright
LF Conforto
CF Ces-POW-des
1B Duda
2B Walker
SS Cabrera
C d'Arnaud
P Colon

[G-Fafif]

Opponents

Herrera CF
Hernandez 2B
Franco 3B
Howard 1B
Ruiz C
Galvis SS
Lough LF
Hellickson P
Bourjos RF

Yup, the pitcher is batting eighth. Last Philly starter to do so? Steve Carlton, June 1, 1979.

[Edgy MD]

Peter Bourjos wears the cone of shame.

[TransMonk]

I know Gary was mentioning it last night and that we have not faced a lot of lefties this season, but there is something comforting about throwing the same eight batters out there every night...especially given that Terry has really liked to (or been forced to out of necessity) mix his lineups up over the years.

I hope Curtis is starting to get on track. Travis looks even more lost. But I really like the 2-7 spots right now.

[ashie62]

I am feeling like I did in 1986. I assume the Mets will win or find a way to win everyday.

[Edgy MD]

Mets up 2-0, and just like yesterday, even the outs are hard.

[Guest themetfairy]

Tied

Boo!

[Edgy MD]

Tied up on CBP homer.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Neil Walker's hardly living up to his name: he hasn't drawn a base on balls all season long.

[Edgy MD]

Welcome to the season Travis d'A.

[Zvon]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Neil Walker's hardly living up to his name: he hasn't drawn a base on balls all season long.

Wow. I did not know that.

2-2 in the 4th.
Colon mixing things up nicely except to that Galvis guy. He threw him a phat one. I did not expect a long ball from Galvis, and neither did Colon.



[fimg=300]https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/13015452_10153467039526471_2922772808147475484_n.jpg?oh=26a491f0fd258ba5771578594447cce8&oe=57762C48[/fimg]
Cabrera 1 fer 1, with a double and a home run

[Edgy MD]

I'm going to have to revise those 20-homer likelihoods.

[bigpurple:y2geyl7i]K A B O O M ! ! M O O B A K[/bigpurple:y2geyl7i]

[Zvon]

I gotta pinch myself.

[Zvon]

Phils mouthpieces have a major problem with Granderson having his cellphone in the dugout. Grandy took a pic of Duda in the dugout after the HR. Is there really a rule: no cell phones?

4-3 Mets

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

We need to play more games in this ball park, like the White Sox used to do in Milwaukee back in the day. It's pretty close to New York. The Phanatic can stay. Our bats seem to like it.

[Zvon]

Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: We need to play more games in this ball park, like the White Sox used to do in Milwaukee back in the day. It's pretty close to New York. The Phanatic can stay. Our bats seem to like it.

Saw this on fb earlier today.

[fimg=300]https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-0/s526x395/13012704_793751094090015_2555365619818969334_n.jpg?oh=9f8113509868b2b7d2b13f6b83ecd542&oe=5776286E[/fimg]

[Edgy MD]

The shift is taking a beating today.

[Fman99]

Watching every game but light on the IGT's due to laptop issues. LGM!

[Edgy MD]

Lot of strikes on David tonight, but going down looking at a fastball down the middle is a dishonor.

[Edgy MD]

The game may be tied, but the Mets have been beating the shift all night.

[Edgy MD]

Plenty o' time to get up there, Cabrera.

[Frayed Knot]

Another 3-hour-plus game ... and now extra innings tacked on.

[Frayed Knot]

Geez, 9 Ks in just half a game (4.2 inn.) after getting the starter out.

[Edgy MD]

Go-ahead RiSP.

[Fman99]

I felt like shit today and came home after lunch for a 90 minute nap. So I'm good for another inning or two.

Leadoff walk for Grandy. Hopefully they can get something rolling here.