IGT 5/21/2017: ANA@NYM—Paris Trout

[Edgy MD]

Righthander Jesse Chavez looks for his 30th career victory and a chance to stop the flaming hot Mets from extending their two-game winning streak. Trying to complete the sweep for the Mets is lefty Tommy Milone, himself looking for career win #46.

[Guest d'Kong76]

LA Angels at NY Mets
When: 1:10 PM ET, Sunday, May 21, 2017
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
By Gracenote

Returning home has helped put some life in the New York Mets, who will go for their second series sweep of the season when they host the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday for the finale of their three-game set. The Mets were on a seven-game losing streak that included an 0-6 road trip before taking the first two contests against Los Angeles.

New York, which hasn't won three in a row since a five-game run from April 9-13, celebrated a pair of notable milestones in Saturday's 7-5 victory. Terry Collins managed his 1,013th game to surpass Davey Johnson for the most in franchise history and was able to enjoy it thanks to Jose Reyes, who collected his 2,000th hit as part of a 3-for-4, two-RBI performance. The Angels arrived in New York riding a four-game winning streak, but Saturday's setback dropped them below .500 and to a woeful 7-15 away from home. Andrelton Simmons is 4-for-8 in the series and has recorded multiple hits in four of his last five games.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, FSN West (Anaheim), WPIX (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels RH Jesse Chavez (3-5, 4.22 ERA) vs. Mets LH Tommy Milone (1-1, 6.25)

Chavez matched his season high of seven innings last time out versus the Chicago White Sox, ending a three-start drought by giving up three runs and five hits. The 33-year-old Californian has worked at least six frames in five of his last six turns, but he continues to struggle with the long ball, allowing eight in his last eight appearances. Chavez has lost all three of his road starts this year despite posting a 3.38 ERA.

Scooped up off waivers to provide depth to an injury-ravaged rotation, Milone will be making his third start for New York. He was touched for five runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings at Arizona last time out after giving up two runs over five frames in his Mets debut. Milone saw plenty of the Angels during his time with Oakland and is 6-2 in 12 starts against them, limiting Mike Trout to five hits in 24 at-bats.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Angels DH Albert Pujols (hamstring), who sat out the first two games of the series, is 11-for-25 with seven doubles against Milone.
2. Mets 2B Neil Walker has collected 12 RBIs while hitting safely in 10 of his last 11 contests.
3. Los Angeles signed veteran free-agent RHP Doug Fister on Saturday.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Conforto LF
Flores 3B
Bruce RF
Walker 2B
Granderson CF
Duda 1B
Plawecki C
Reynolds SS
Milone P

Edited May 21, 2017 by Guest

[Guest d'Kong76]

Maybin LF
Simmons SS
Trout CF
Marte 3B
Cron 1B
Calhoun RF
Espinosa 2B
Maldonado C
Chavez P

[ashie62]

Flores in the two hole and Matt Reynolds makes a cameo at short.

[ashie62]

Milone in large trouble already.

IBB to Trout to load the bases.

[ashie62]

Milone walks in a run.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Uh

[ashie62]

Grand Slam Cris Cron

5-0 Angels

None out.

[Edgy MD]

Well, this isn't the way we drew it up.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

It's early.

[Edgy MD]

And Fortie saves some bacon.

[Edgy MD]

That's JEFRY Marte at third, Keef, not JERRY.

Former Mets minor leaguer traded to the A's for Colin Cowgill and his opening day power.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Good lord, don't blink!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

NOT DOING GREAT, TOM

[Edgy MD]

Giving new meaning to "Mayday Milone."

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Hey, but at least he wasn't jetlagged.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Yeah, I'll be enjoying my family. Let me know how this turns out, willya?

[Edgy MD]

Keith is selling the old, "Expansion waters down talent" story.

[Edgy MD]

You quit on me, Grandy.

I should have come up with a better thread title.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Keith also sells a hair dye that is only differentiated from other hair dyes by its higher price, picture of a dude on the package, and inclusion of a mustache comb inside.

[Edgy MD]

OK, thank you, Matt Reynolds. That's one.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Keith is selling the old, "Expansion waters down talent" story.

He's right and it does.

[Edgy MD]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Keith is selling the old, "Expansion waters down talent" story. He's right and it does.

You surprise me.

It seems to be obvious math that the growth of the US population and the growth of the international talent pool has far outstripped the growth of available MLB roster spots.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Keith is selling the old, "Expansion waters down talent" story. He's right and it does.

Just For Men With Confirmation Bias?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Keith is selling the old, "Expansion waters down talent" story. He's right and it does. You surprise me. It seems to be obvious math that the growth of the US population and the growth of the international talent pool has far outstripped the growth of available MLB roster spots.

I agree with your theory. But how much has the talent pool expanded? And since when? I wasn't watching the game when Keith spoke, so I don't know precisely what expansion period he was talking about, if any, or if he was just generalizing.

MLB added two teams in 1998, just a few years after adding the Marlins and Rockies, for example. Did the talent pool expand so much in those four years before 1998 to account for two new teams without watering down the quality of MLB play? If the talent pool is as big as you suggest, and that there's room for more teams without watering down the quality of MLB play, then that means that it should be extremely easy to replace the two, three or four players at the bottom of every team's 25 man roster depth chart without suffering a noticeable drop in talent. But that, I don't see.


OE -- Don't forget that -- assuming that talent evaluation is more or less accurate and efficient, when MLB expands, it adds players that otherwise would still be in the minor leagues. Two new teams means you'd have 50 new major leaguers, most of them worse than Adam Wilk and Rafael Montero. How is that not watering down the league?

Edited May 21, 2017 by Guest

[Frayed Knot]

We're not dead yet!

[fimg=400:1u0evhvx]http://wp.production.patheos.com/blogs/fuller/files/2015/03/im-not-dead-yet.jpeg[/fimg:1u0evhvx]

[Frayed Knot]

Well, Hansel Robles seems to be officially broken.
Not sure if anyone has the instruction manual to put him back together.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm starting to think he may not win 20 games this year after all.

[Guest cooby]

I'm starting to think the Mets might not win 20 games this year