IGT 05/26 - Mets @ Buccos - Season on the Plank?

[Guest d'Kong76]

NY Mets at Pittsburgh
When: 7:05 PM ET, Friday, May 26, 2017
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
By Gracenote

The Pittsburgh Pirates got their bats going over the past few days, just in time for a matchup with New York Mets star right-hander Jacob deGrom in the opener of a three-game series at home Friday night. The Pirates gained a split of a four-game series in Atlanta with Thursday's 9-4 win and they averaged 8.7 runs and 14 hits over the final three games of the set.

Adam Frazier homered twice, drove in six runs and scored four times in the last two contests versus the Braves, pushing his average to .361. He and his teammates will look to stay hot against deGrom, who is coming off his best start of the year with seven scoreless innings and nine strikeouts in a win over the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander had his scheduled start Thursday pushed back a day in order to avoid inclement weather in New York, where the Mets were playing the finale of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres. Rafael Montero struggled in place of deGrom and a ninth-inning rally was not enough as New York fell 4-3 to cap a 3-3 homestand.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), ROOT (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Jacob deGrom (3-1, 3.56 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Chad Kuhl (1-4, 5.85)

DeGrom has given up nine runs on 16 hits in 11 innings over his last two road starts and lost his only previous decision in Pittsburgh. The 28-year-old leads the National League with 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings but he also has the highest walk rate of his career (3.7). Josh Harrison and Gregory Polanco are both 1-for-8 against deGrom, combining for seven strikeouts.

Kuhl limited the Philadelphia Phillies to one hit in five scoreless innings Sunday after giving up 10 runs in nine frames over his previous two outings. He has an unsightly 8.20 ERA and 2.09 WHIP in five home starts and has gone no further than five innings in six consecutive starts. The Delaware native has never faced the Mets.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Pirates RF Andrew McCutchen, who is batting .203, has been held out of the starting lineup two games in a row.
2. New York 1B Lucas Duda was 5-for-10 with five RBIs and three runs scored in the series versus San Diego.
3. The Mets activated SS Asdrubal Cabrera (thumb) from the 10-day disabled list Thursday and optioned C Kevin Plawecki to Triple-A Las Vegas.

[Guest cooby]

Oh my gosh! I can watch this! Whooo!

Hey, seriously, when was the last time the Mets played the Pirates? Is it my (and Mr cooby's) imagination, or has it been years?

[Benjamin Grimm]

It hasn't been years. The Mets and Pirates play two series against each other every year, one series in Pittsburgh and one in Queens.

Mets vs. Pirates

[Guest cooby]

Man. We must be losing it.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Senility, embrace it. I have!

[Ceetar]

d'Kong76 wrote: Senility, embrace it. I have!

And now you're eligible for president.

[Guest cooby]

d'Kong76 wrote: Senility, embrace it. I have!

I guess I better :/

Nah, I couldn't run for president. I don't have time or enough good clothes

[ashie62]

I am at a loss for words regarding the Mets. It has become masochistic.

[Edgy MD]

It's not masochism if it still makes you angry. You haven't learned to love the pain yet.

[ashie62]

Edgy MD wrote: It's not masochism if it still makes you angry. You haven't learned to love the pain yet.

LMAO Correct.

Give it this series.

[TransMonk]

I've been semi-checked out since the series in Milwaukee. I skipped all the games with Arizona. I checked in on games with the Angels and Padres, but I'm not seeing a lot to be encouraged by yet. After watching nearly every game the past three seasons, I'm not having any fun with the Mets this year. I just end up grumbling for three hours.

I understand that the team has been decimated by injuries, but I feel the problems are deeper than that. We'll see what happens once Cespedes and Matz get back, but so far outside of Blevins and Conforto this season has been a big fat disappointment on most fronts, IMO.

[Benjamin Grimm]

It definitely has. You should see the awful set of tabloid covers I've been collecting. This winter's Tabloid Cover Derby is shaping up to be a rather gloomy one. Plenty of sturm und drang.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I'm an addict, and I expect a full turn around this weekend.
Huge, huge I tell ya!

[Ceetar]

d'Kong76 wrote: I'm an addict, and I expect a full turn around this weekend. Huge, huge I tell ya!

I'm not buying the Nationals, so really all I want is for the Mets to play better than Washington, by at least 2 games, before the series. That'd still put them 6.5 out but then if they win the series it's 5.5 and then you try to continue to play better than them and get it to 4.5 before the next series and win that and it's 3.5 at the break.

Then you get your shit together, find replacements if you need them, and make them eat your dust.

[Edgy MD]

Lineup features some serious joshing, the return of Andrew McCutcheon, and former self-styled Yankee enforcer Francisco Cervelli.

[fimg=400:1o3rzmmg]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/1909_Pittsburgh_Pirates_on_a_boat_FINAL.jpg[/fimg:1o3rzmmg]

[*:1o3rzmmg]Adam Frazier, lf[/*:m:1o3rzmmg]
[*:1o3rzmmg]Josh Harrison, 2b[/*:m:1o3rzmmg]
[*:1o3rzmmg]Josh Bell, 1b[/*:m:1o3rzmmg]
[*:1o3rzmmg]Gregory Polanco, rf[/*:m:1o3rzmmg]
[*:1o3rzmmg]David Freese, 3b[/*:m:1o3rzmmg]
[*:1o3rzmmg]Andrew McCutchen, cf[/*:m:1o3rzmmg]
[*:1o3rzmmg]Francisco Cervelli, c[/*:m:1o3rzmmg]
[*:1o3rzmmg]Jordy Mercer, cf[/*:m:1o3rzmmg]
[*:1o3rzmmg]Chad Kuhl, sp[/*:m:1o3rzmmg][/list:o:1o3rzmmg]

[Benjamin Grimm]

"Josh Bell" makes me think of the Nickelodeon series Drake and Josh, which starred Drake Bell and Josh Peck.

[Guest themetfairy]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: "Josh Bell" makes me think of the Nickelodeon series Drake and Josh, which starred Drake Bell and Josh Peck.

Thick-legged Heath Bell is a cousin of Drake's.

[Frayed Knot]

What's up wit' da Pirates? -- mini-KTE

22-26, last place in NLC (although there's only 4 games from top to bottom in that division so things change daily) -24 Run Differential
They're in the midst of their NL East tour, coming off winning 2 of 3 vs Washington, then 2 of 3 vs Philly, then splitting a four-game set in Atlanta where they dropped the first two before storming
back on Wednesday with 2 in the 9th and [u:50d3gpw9]7 in the 10th[/u:50d3gpw9] to win that one, then smacked around Bartolo on Thursday


Their roster has been a bit of a mess this year, between last year's Korean pick-up Jung-Ho Hang not being on the team all year so far (can't leave Korea due to DUI arrests), to LF Sterling Marte
(80 game drug suspension), and the continued and mysterious decline of former MVP Andrew McCutcheon (.203 BA and getting benched recently).

New this season is 24 top prospect Josh Bell (played in 45 games in 2016). He's been installed as their everyday 1B [.242/.329/.484 - 9 HR]
2B has been a mix and match thing all year with Kang gone, but lately has been the province of the 27 y/o South African Gift Ngoepe (discussed in a thread a few weeks back). Not exactly tearing
things up but holding his own.
SS - Jordy Mercer plays everyday [.239/.344/.342 - 4 HR]
3B - Another mix and match spot, mostly between whirling dervish Josh Harrison (he'll play 3B, 2B and sometimes OF) and one-time StL WS hero David Freese
C - Francisco Cervelli is having himself a nice little career both with the glove and bat. And in keeping with recent tradition, all Pitt catchers have to be one-time Yanquis meaning that Chris Stewart
backs up and hits like a back-up.

The OF is where the real mess is:
McCutcheon started in RF amid much fanfare, then moved back to CF when Marte got flagged, and lately finds himself on the bench
Gregory Polanco just came off the DL so probably wants his LF job back but, in his absence, 2nd year player Adam Frazier has taken the job and run with it, hitting .361/.446/.515 in less than 100 ABs
Last year's 1B, John Jaso (and his hair) had been bumped to RF to make room for Bell but he's hitting worse than McCutcheon so is likely the odd man out with Polanco's return.


Pitchers:
Friday (7:05) - Chad Kuhl (good thing his parents didn't name him Joe), a guy I never heard of before. He threw 14 games last year with some success and nine so far this season with a lot less
[5.85 ERA, 1.60 WHIP]

Saturday (7:15 - FOX) - Gerritt Cole, former 1/1 draft pick out of UCLA, is their ace despite his 2-5 record in 10 starts this year [3.36; 1.12]

Sunday (8:00 - ESPN) - Tyler Glasnow - 23 y/o Pitt draft pick in his second season, having a rough go of it right now [6.69; 1.93 - over 9 starts]




The Mets have never faced either Kuhl nor Glasnow.
Cole has started against them three times going 1-2 while giving up 9 runs (8 ER) in 17.1 IP

Edited May 26, 2017 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

No shakeups tonight, unless you count the return of Cabrera knocking Flores to the bench.

1. Michael Conforto, lf
   
2. Jose Reyes, 3b
   
3. Jay Bruce, rf
   
4. Neil Walker, 2b
   
5. Lucas Duda, 1b 1B
   
6. Asdrubal Cabrera, ss
   
7. Curtis Granderson, cf
   
8. Rene Rivera, c
   
9. Jacob deGrom, sp

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm suspicious of the idea of Cabrera as an upgrade. I suspect he hears footsteps of Rosario and it's aging him prematurely.

[MFS62]

Thanks to a friend who was a Pirates' fan, I rooted for the Pirates after my Brooklyn Dodgers deserted me. I was rewarded for my Buc fandom in 1960 when they beat the MFYs in the World Series.
When the Mets were born, I began to root for them. But I have always had a warm spot in my heart for the Bucs.
But not THAT warm.

LGM!

Later

Edited May 26, 2017 by Guest

[Guest cooby]

MFS62 wrote: Thanks to a friend who was a Pirates' fan, I rooted for the Pirates after my Brooklyn Dodgers deserted me. I was rewarded for my Buc fandom in 1960 when they beat the MFYs in the World Series. When the Mets were born, I began to root for them. But I have always had a warm spot in my heart for the Bus. But not THAT warm. LGM! Later

Yeah Bettis was great. I really liked him too. But he was a Steeler, '62!
;D

[MFS62]

Fixed.
Later

[Guest cooby]

Awwww

[Edgy MD]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I'm suspicious of the idea of Cabrera as an upgrade. I suspect he hears footsteps of Rosario and it's aging him prematurely.

There might be something to that, considering he was given a rare rehab assignment in Binghamton, rather than Vegas.

Strangely encourage these days when they get through the first un-scored upon.

[Guest cooby]

1-0 Mets

[Guest cooby]

Wow. IGT all to myself. Who'd a thunk it?


Yay Neil Walker!

[Guest cooby]

3-0 Mets

Geez I miss Zvon

[Guest cooby]

Yahoo! Hit from DeGrom. Okay all. I'm leaving to watch.

[Guest 41Forever]

Jose still has some wheels! And Bruce brings him home.