IGT 04/21 - WAS at NYM - Just win, that's all I got...

[Guest d'Kong76]

Washington at NY Mets
When: 7:10 PM ET, Friday, April 21, 2017
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
By SportsDirect Inc.

Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper are flexing their muscles and the Washington Nationals are in the early stages of kicking sand in the face of their division rivals heading into Friday's opener of a three-game series versus the host New York Mets. Zimmerman, who has hit safely in 12 of 15 contests, launched a grand slam on Wednesday and went deep the following day as Washington won its fourth straight and seventh in nine games with a 3-2 victory over Atlanta.

Harper isn't being left out of the fun as the 2015 National League MVP recorded a pair of two-homer, five-RBIs contests in a three-game stretch before adding a single in the finale versus the Braves. Harper and Zimmerman have enjoyed success versus Friday starter Jacob deGrom, with the former going 7-for-18 with a solo homer while the latter also went deep among his three hits in eight career at-bats. While NL East-leading Washington has collected eight of its 10 victories against division foes, New York has answered a five-game winning streak by dropping five of its last six - including two of three to struggling Philadelphia. Injuries are also mounting for the undermanned Mets, with Yoenis Cespedes expected to undergo an MRI on Friday after exiting the series finale versus the Phillies with a left hamstring cramp.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, MASN (Washington), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Tanner Roark (2-0, 3.50 ERA) vs. Mets RH Jacob deGrom (0-0, 1.89)

Roark did his best to help his cause with a double highlighting his own two-hit performance on Saturday, but settled for a no-decision despite allowing just two runs on four hits in seven innings against Philadelphia. The 30-year-old has kept the ball in the park in all three outings this season and did not walk a batter for the second straight trip to the mound. Roark owns a 3-1 career mark with a 2.08 ERA at Citi Field and has kept red-hot Jay Bruce in check regardless of venue, with the slugger batting just .091 in 11 at-bats.

A career high-tying 13-strikeout performance by deGrom went by the boards on Saturday as the bullpen blew the lead and left the 28-year-old with a no-decision against Miami. DeGrom surrendered a pair of solo homers among his four hits over seven innings before departing. While the right-hander has endured struggles against Harper and Zimmerman, deGrom has gotten the better of Jayson Werth (1-for-12, three strikeouts).

WALK-OFFS:
1. New York RF Curtis Granderson is 0-for-15 in his last four games and just 8-for-56 this season.
2. Washington 2B Daniel Murphy (leg), a former Met, is questionable for the series opener after being scratched from Thursday's lineup while SS Trea Turner (hamstring) is expected to be activated from the disabled list Friday.
3. In addition to Cespedes, New York also has 1B Lucas Duda (elbow), C Travis d'Arnaud (right wrist contusion) and INF Wilmer Flores (infection) among its walking wounded.

[Lefty Specialist]

Ugh. No expectations for this weekend at all. They're hurt and those who aren't hurt are playing poorly.

[Ceetar]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Ugh. No expectations for this weekend at all. They're hurt and those who aren't hurt are playing poorly.

from the Nationals perspective or the Mets?

[Edgy MD]

deGrom pushed back to Saturday with stiff neck. Harvey to go tonight.

http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/mets-jacob-degrom-start-pushed-back-with-stiff-neck/

[Benjamin Grimm]

[Edgy MD]

Better Harvey than Montero or somebud.

[Guest 41Forever]

But Murph is hurt. So we avoid his hitting, but won't have the benefit of his fielding. Mixed bag for us.

[Chad ochoseis]

Edgy MD wrote: deGrom pushed back to Saturday with stiff neck. Harvey to go tonight. http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/mets-jacob-degrom-start-pushed-back-with-stiff-neck/

Is he available to pinch-hit? He may be needed.

[ashie62]

Another guy in the trainers room.

[bmfc1]

Remember: the Nationals are a bunch of bastards, they probably voted for Trump and support Le Pen in France. Dusty Baker is so dumb... he makes Terry look like a great in-game strategist. Their mascot is an effeminate owl, who does that? Tonight's game is on MLBN but blacked out in DC which means mute or using the Hola! app to fool my computer into thinking that I'm elsewhere--anything to avoid listening to Dumb and Dumber, the MASN TV announcers. Their fans know nothing about baseball and I'm having lunch with 2 of them on Sunday so the pressure is on. In sum: F THE NATS, LETS GO METS!

[Zvon]

Jeeze Loueeze.

[Frayed Knot]

Brandon Nimmo - CF
Amed Rosario - SS
Ty Kelly - somewhere
Dom Smith - 1B
Matt Reynolds - 2B
Travis Taijeron - RF
Kevin Plawecki - C
Erik Goeddel - P



OK, just kidding, it hasn't gotten that bad ... yet!




Real lineup:

CONFORTO - LF
LAGARES - CF
BRUCE - 1B
WALKER - 2B
GRANDERSON - RF
REYES - SS
RIVERA - 3B
RIVERA -C
HARVEY - P

[Frayed Knot]

EATON - CF
DIFO - SS
HARPER - RF
MURPHY - 2B
RENDON - 3B
LIND - 1B
HEISEY - LF
LOBATON - C
ROARK - P



Trea Turner IS activated from the DL but is not in the lineup tonight.
Jayson Werth is sitting out with "groin spasms". I'll let you insert your own joke there.

[Frayed Knot]

The fact that he's at CitiField and doing the game tonight means that this (Manitoba, Canada) newspaper probably got their facts a bit wrong.

[fimg=340:2sbovo1w]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C94stNUXgAETX8F.jpg[/fimg:2sbovo1w]

[Edgy MD]

No accounts?! Harvey hits a dude in the helmet. Bryce Harper, who has never touched him, hits a two-run homer. Conforto answers with a solo shot of his own to lead off for the Mets just as I'm posting our horrible leadoff numbers.

Rivera gets Wilmer Difo on a caught stealing. There's only room for ONE Wilmer in this town, Buddy, and HE'S got a staph infection!

Harvey strikes out Muh, and you can feel the momentum shifting.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Reyes still looking awful at the plate. I'm about to issue an APB for Cecchini.

[Edgy MD]

I don't know who the stringer is doing the Newsday bit, but she's more engaging than Carig usually manages to be.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Reyes still looking awful at the plate. I'm about to issue an APB for Cecchini.

Another week of this, and I'm on board.

[Frayed Knot]

Harvey just made a bad location pitch to Harper.
Other than that he's been fine except that he's headed for pitch-count prison pretty soon as he's been well over the 15/per threshold since the 1st inning.
By comparison, Roark's thrown about half as many.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

41Forever wrote: But Murph is hurt. So we avoid his hitting, but won't have the benefit of his fielding. Mixed bag for us.

?

[Zvon]

Niiiiice.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Meanwhile the Mets with a rare run scored without the benefit of a home run. Score tied at 2.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Zvon wrote: Niiiiice.

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

[Zvon]

UGHHHHH. Matt gives the lead right back. Jose Lobaton goes yard.
3-2

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I predict TJ gets us right back into this thing

[Zvon]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I predict TJ gets us right back into this thing

That's a start. TJs 1st hit of the season.

Matt can't move him over. Grrrrrrrrr

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He bunts like somebody trying to use a fork for the first time.

Conforto, both lucky AND good, it seems.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

And AGAIN with the hustle on this kid, almost beating out the inning-ending force. Futile, but still... a team full of Confortos would be a runaway division winner, I suspect.

[Edgy MD]

And then Confy makes a catch leaning over the tarp.

I'm working with the radio, so I don't know, but I've seen enough of 2017 Céspedes to get the idea that he wouldn't be close enough to pick up the ball and toss it to the crowd.

[Zvon]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: And AGAIN with the hustle on this kid, almost beating out the inning-ending force. Futile, but still... a team full of Confortos would be a runaway division winner, I suspect.

Good to see. I thought he was safe in real time.