IGT 05/27 - Mets @ Buccos - Batten Down the Hatches

[Guest d'Kong76]

I did! I did!
Well, batten them down again! We'll teach those hatches!

NY Mets at Pittsburgh
When: 7:15 PM ET, Saturday, May 27, 2017
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
By Gracenote

The New York Mets received a boost from their ace in the opener of a series at Pittsburgh and the Pirates will hope for a similar effort from theirs when the teams meet again Saturday. Jacob deGrom struck out 10 while allowing one run in 8 1/3 innings to lift the Mets to an 8-1 win in Friday's opener, snapping the club's six-game road losing streak of suckitude.

Former Pirate Neil Walker went deep twice to lead the offensive attack and he is hitting .345 with 18 RBIs in May. Gerrit Cole will try to mimic deGrom, slow down Walker and recover from his worst start of the year when he gets the nod for the Pirates on Saturday. Gregory Polanco provided all the offense for Pittsburgh in Friday's loss with his second home run of the year in his first game since returning from the disabled list. After recording 42 hits in their previous three contests, the Pirates had six against deGrom and one reliever and they will try to rebound against New York right-hander Zack Wheeler.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Zack Wheeler (3-2, 3.74 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (2-5, 3.36)

Wheeler has allowed five earned runs in 21 2/3 innings over his last four starts, although control has been an issue. He has walked 14 batters in that span, including a season-high five in five frames of a win over the Los Angeles Angels his last time out. The 26-year-old, who has a 2.84 ERA in 32 career road starts, will be facing the Pirates for the first time.

Cole will be taking his second shot at career win No. 50 after suffering the loss Monday at Atlanta, allowing five runs and a season-high 10 hits in a season-low 4 2/3 innings. He owns a 1.67 ERA in four home starts while limiting opponents to a .161 batting average. The former No. 1 overall pick is 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA in three career starts versus New York.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Pirates 2B Josh Harrison is batting .365 in 16 games batting second.
2. Mets 1B Lucas Duda has seven hits and four walks in his last four games.
3. Even with Friday's loss, Pittsburgh is 10-4 against New York at home since 2013.

[ashie62]

I'd like to see KC pull a nice long I.G.T streak.

[ashie62]

On another note, Josh Smoker closed in the minors. Maybe I would give him a shot.

[Frayed Knot]

Ashie62 wrote: On another note, Josh Smoker closed in the minors. Maybe I would give him a shot.

He's also served up HRs to the first batter he's faced in each of his last two appearances ... so maybe not.

[Edgy MD]

I think Yosemite Sam is a Wild West outlaw who sometimes cosplays as a cutthroat pirate. But sometimes I wonder if pirate isn't his natural state and sometimes he plays at being a Wild West outlaw.

Yosemite is inland, so I'm inclined toward the outlaw theory. I mean, nobody calls him "Barbados Sam." But maybe that nickname was a latter day application.

[Guest 41Forever]

Edgy MD wrote: I think Yosemite Sam is a Wild West outlaw who sometimes cosplays as a cutthroat pirate. But sometimes I wonder if pirate isn't his natural state and sometimes he plays at being a Wild West outlaw. Yosemite is inland, so I'm inclined toward the outlaw theory. I mean, nobody calls him "Barbados Sam." But maybe that nickname was a latter day application.

You know what's kinda sad? My kids, age 24 and 20, have probably never seen a Loony Tunes cartoon and couldn't identify Yosemite Same or Porky Pig. Those things were staples of my childhood Saturday mornings.

I don't know if that's a reflection of changing times, Warner Bros. inability to sustain a classic franchise or my bad parenting.

I did make them sit down and watch Caddyshack, so they have that going for them.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Sorry, but having then watch Caddyshack makes it bad parenting!

[Lefty Specialist]

I exposed my son to Looney Tunes early and he's developed an appreciation.

From the Wiki machine:

Though officially a cowboy, Freleng put Sam in a different costume in almost every film: a knight, a Roman legionary, a pirate, a royal cook, a prison guard, a duke (Duke of Yosemite, no less), a Hessian mercenary, a Confederate soldier, a mountain climber (climbing the 'Shmadderhorn' mountain in Switzerland), a hen-pecked househusband and even a space alien.

[Guest 41Forever]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Sorry, but having then watch Caddyshack makes it bad parenting!

No, it's important to expose them to high art. And besides, they have to know where half of my catch phrases come from.

[Guest d'Kong76]

1Frazier LF
Harrison 2B
Bell 1B
Polanco RF
Freese 3B
McCutchen CF
Cervelli C
Mercer SS
Cole P

Conforto LF
Reyes 3B
Bruce RF
Walker 2B
Duda 1B
Cabrera SS
Granderson CF
d’Arnaud C
Wheeler P

[ashie62]

[bigpurple:a8a3xpt5]KABOOM[/bigpurple:a8a3xpt5]

[ashie62]

Walker singles. Jocularity!

[ashie62]

Dooda doubles, Walker to third.

[ashie62]

Holy crap. Granderson triples.

[ashie62]

Travis singles in Grandy.

2-0

Cole 45 pitches.

[Guest cooby]

Wow. Didn't someone triple earlier?

[Edgy MD]

Well, I suspected the Mets might be able to help McCutcheon get turned around.

[ashie62]

Slumping McCutcheon goes yard 2-2

[ashie62]

cooby wrote: Wow. Didn't someone triple earlier?

Grandy only.

[Edgy MD]

And Reyes going down looking with a run on third and less than two out is looming large.

[batmagadanleadoff]

[fimg=455:3fah82ke]https://shlabotnikreport.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/1976-pirates-yearbook.jpg[/fimg:3fah82ke]

[Edgy MD]

Well that answers that.

Signed by Bob Clampett, too.

[Edgy MD]

Come on. Finish dudes off when you have 'em 0-2.

[Guest 41Forever]

Travis-Kaboom!

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, don't give up on d'Arnie.

[Edgy MD]

Doubling up the middle: classick Reyes.

[G-Fafif]

Mets up by one. They should be up by ten. Or more than one.

[Guest 41Forever]

Duda-kaboom completely out of the ballpark, I think!

[Edgy MD]

I thought that Doody Bomb was going to get wet.

[Edgy MD]

We get one of those "All he needs is a triple for the cycle" quotes that Frayed Knot collects.

Granderson should have gone for home. He's likely out, but he probably had a better chance of scoring than Wheeler has of getting a hit.

Go, Wheeler anyhow!