IGT 5/25; 1:05 Game; Mets @ Nats

[Frayed Knot]

Day game to follow the night game.
Expect Wright back in. Probably some hot Rene Rivera action too.
Either Campbell or Kelly at 1st in what could be the last ML game for one or the other (or maybe both) for a while as somebody's getting sent down on Thurs/Fri.
Pitching matchup should favor our side for the first time in the series: Matz vs Roark
Matz, as we all know, is riding a wave after putting his 1st start behind him. Roark got off to a great start but had a much better April than May.
And the meat of the bullpen is tanned, rested, and ready.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Win today would be very good to have. Going 3-3 while down a few guys, not playing particularly well and getting 2 turns with our worst pitcher isn't so bad.

Those guys are at full strength, you know.

[Centerfield]

Huge game today. It would be nice to get some runs early.

Tanner Roark sucks. It is known. It is known.

[Guest d'Kong76]

NY Mets at Washington
When: 1:05 PM ET, Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Where: Nationals Park, Washington, District of Columbia
SportsDirect Inc.

The Washington Nationals assured that they would finish out the current series in first place in the National League East with a victory on Tuesday but could stand to put some more distance between themselves and the New York Mets. The Nationals, who own a 1 1/2-game lead in the division, host the Mets in the rubber match of the three-game series on Wednesday.

New York breezed to a 7-1 victory in Monday�s opener to tighten the gap to a half-game but Washington responded by kicking around struggling Mets ace Matt Harvey en route to a 7-4 victory on Tuesday. The Nationals pounded out five home runs in the win � one each from Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon, Daniel Murphy, Ben Revere and Wilson Ramos � to back a strong outing from Stephen Strasburg. Murphy, who was one of New York�s October heroes during a run to the World Series last fall before signing with rival Washington in free agency, is 8-for-19 with six RBIs in five games against his former team this season. The Mets had a four-game winning streak come to an end with Tuesday�s setback.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, SNY (New York), MASN (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Steven Matz (6-1, 2.81 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Tanner Roark (3-3, 2.89)

Matz had to skip a start due to elbow soreness but did not appear to be struggling with any injury when he returned on Friday and cruised through seven innings while allowing two runs and three hits in a win over Milwaukee. The New York native yielded a total of six runs in 40 innings over his last six turns -- all victories -- and recorded 42 strikeouts in that span. Matz is making his first career start against Washington and is 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA on the road.

Roark allowed seven runs in five innings against Miami on May 14 but was a different pitcher at the Marlins five days later. The Illinois product surrendered one run and six hits over 6 2/3 innings to pick up the win. Roark has never lost to New York and owns a 5-0 record with a 3.05 ERA in 11 career games � six starts � against the Mets.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Nationals RF Bryce Harper is 0-for-9 in the last three games.
2. New York LF Yoenis Cespedes is 11-for-25 with eight runs scored during a seven-game hitting streak.
3. Revere recorded multiple hits in four of his last five games to lift his batting average to .194.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Granderson, RF
Wright, 3B
Conforto, LF
Cespedes, CF
Walker, 2B
Cabrera, SS
Campbell, 1B
Rivera, C
Matz, P

Taylor, CF
Werth, LF
Murphy, 2B
Zimmerman, 1B
Rendon, 3B
Ramos, C
Heisey, RF
Espinosa, SS
Roark, P

[TransMonk]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Win today would be very good to have. Going 3-3 while down a few guys, not playing particularly well and getting 2 turns with our worst pitcher isn't so bad. Those guys are at full strength, you know.

100% this.

[bmfc1]

Leaving work, off to the ballpark.

[ashie62]

In Matz I trust.

Campbell, not so much.

[Frayed Knot]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Win today would be very good to have. Going 3-3 while down a few guys, not playing particularly well and getting 2 turns with our worst pitcher isn't so bad. Those guys are at full strength, you know.

Plus I don't want to sit on two straight losses for a day and a half. Plus my record while starting IGTs is like 1-19 since last season so I'd like to break that.

Harper & Revere sitting vs Matz

[Fman99]

Working, listening to Josh/Howie on XM.

[Fman99]

KABOOMAGE for the Capn!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Back? Shmack.

[youtube:25kohes4]_ozSSseCh3U[/youtube:25kohes4]

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Hey, wasn't Michael Taylor supposed to be, like, their centerfielder Of The FutureTM? Like, last year?

[Fman99]

Cabrera a late scratch apparently? Reynolds in at SS they are saying.

[Edgy MD]

Terry Collins' rest plan is either screwing us royally or working like gangbusters, I'm not sure.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Cabrera's pregame physical issue?

Back problems.

What the hell is with these guys' mattresses? Can the team spring for clubhouse Aeron chairs?

[Centerfield]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Cabrera's pregame physical issue? Back problems. What the hell is with these guys' mattresses? Can the team spring for clubhouse Aeron chairs?

Crap. Well I guess that asshole who wanted to see Reynolds starting at SS in 2015 and criticized the Cabrera signing will be happy.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

After fouling off several (Yay!) very hittable (Boo!) Roark fastballs, Reynolds works a walk (Yay!).

Then gets wiped out on a near-miss 1-4-3 double play.

[Edgy MD]

It's these DC flophouses they're staying in.

[Centerfield]

Fucking Campbell.

[Edgy MD]

Michael Taylor cut down.

Can't complain much about the defense our sub-.200 catchers are providing.

[G-Fafif]

Matt Reynolds has a major league base hit.

[Fman99]

Centerfield wrote: Fucking Campbell.

Yes. He sucks a bathtub full of micropenises.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I've always found the tradition of taking the ball out of play for a first
hit so enjoyable. Close down battle for ten seconds, here's one for your
mantle buddy. Resume battle.

[Edgy MD]

It's sort of the job of hitting coaches to keep their batters in the game by taking over when their players start riding the ump over his strike zone, isn't it?

A hitting coach is probably just as useful during the game when confined to the clubhouse, anyhow.

[Guest cooby]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Cabrera's pregame physical issue? Back problems. What the hell is with these guys' mattresses? Can the team spring for clubhouse Aeron chairs?

They are all putting in their veggie gardens

[Edgy MD]

Ugh. KARS4KIDS commercial.

[Guest d'Kong76]

If one is unfortunate and has to go to hell, I'm told that jingle is
blasted on the whole slow escalator ride down.

[Edgy MD]

You know, I have a whole list of things I think of as my first order of business when I take over the Mets.

Then I hear that commercial again and I'm reminded. Top priority, Day One.

[Fman99]

Edgy MD wrote: Ugh. KARS4KIDS commercial.

Yeah, radio has its own list of bad ones. That's up there. Ed Burns, too, enough of your "New York guy" schtick.