IGT 06/14 - Cubs at Mets - It's Gonna be Harvelous!

[Guest d'Kong76]

Chi. Cubs at NY Mets
When: 7:10 PM ET, Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
By Gracenote

The Chicago Cubs may have found the solution to their recent offensive woes, and it involves their slugging first baseman batting first. Non-traditional leadoff hitter Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs hope to remain hot at the plate when they visit the New York Mets for the finale of their three-game series on Wednesday.

Rizzo led off Tuesday's game with a home run and finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs in a 14-3 victory. The Cubs belted a season-high five homers and scored more runs than they totaled in their previous nine road games - all losses. The rout ended an impressive stretch for Mets pitchers, who had allowed just one run in each contest during a four-game winning streak. New York will need a lengthy outing from Matt Harvey after taxing the bullpen on Tuesday, as Zack Wheeler didn’t get out of the second inning and the team burned its long relievers.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Chicago, SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Mike Montgomery (0-3, 2.43 ERA) vs. Mets RH Matt Harvey (4-3, 5.02)

Montgomery will be making his second start in place of the injured Kyle Hendricks, and he hopes it lasts a little longer than the first. The 27-year-old gave up two runs and three hits in four innings of a no-decision against Colorado on Friday, as three walks and a number of deep counts helped cut his outing short. Montgomery never has faced the Mets in his career.

Harvey has been inconsistent through 12 turns, posting only four quality starts while allowing five or more runs four times. The 28-year-old was excellent Friday at Atlanta, allowing four hits over five scoreless frames, but threw 104 pitches before settling for a no-decision. Harvey is 1-0 with a 1.26 ERA in two career starts against the Cubs.

WALK-OFFS:
1. A win on Wednesday would give the Cubs their first series win on the road since taking two of three at Pittsburgh from April 24-26.
2. Rizzo is 11-for-26 with two homers during his eight-game hitting streak.
3. The Mets hit two ninth-inning home runs Tuesday and have belted 37 shots in their last 22 games.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Rizzo 1B
Happ 2B
Bryant 3B
Montero C
Jay RF
Schwarber LF
Baez SS
Montgomery P
Almora Jr. CF

[Guest d'Kong76]

[tweet:3pffs1cs]

[/tweet:3pffs1cs]

[Frayed Knot]

Hmmm, no Cespedes [u:1l43rv7a]OR[/u:1l43rv7a] Conforto.
I know at least some of these Cespedes days off were sort of pre-planned so as to ease him back in, but this 'stiff back' or whatever they're calling it for MC is starting to get not so funny anymore.




Montgomery, who was with Seattle until being dealt to the Cubs at the deadline last summer, has never faced the Mets. He started as a 2014 rookie but mostly as a reliever since then including
the stint where he was called on to get a little out we like to call the final one of the extra-inning/Game-Seven/World Series. It was the only batter he faced that game but the tying Cleveland
runner was on 1st and batter Michael Martinez was the WS winning run at the plate when Montgomery induced the Series-ending 5-3

[ashie62]

Conforto should go to DL and Nimmo promoted.

Ian Happ is the next Cubs phenom.

[Centerfield]

Ashie62 wrote: Conforto should go to DL and Nimmo promoted. Ian Happ is the next Cubs phenom.

Hope he pans out as well as their last one. (Schwarber)

[Ceetar]

Nimmo is 24th worst of 101 qualifying batters in SLG. in the PCL.

[Frayed Knot]

Ashie62 wrote: Conforto should go to DL and Nimmo promoted.

Well if you did that right now you'd be swapping out the guy hitting .300 in the majors for one hitting .220 in the minors, so unless you've got insider info that this back thing is going to last a while ...

Ian Happ is the next Cubs phenom.

Haps was a high (9th overall) 1st round draft pick and a Top-30-ish prospect acc to those who rate such stuff heading into this season. That's a good prospect, but not necessarily a sure-fire future star.
So far he's K'd in more than 40% of his ML ABs including Ks in four straight ABs following his Grand Slam last night.

[ashie62]

I'm just throwing out a name to replace a dl'd Conforto.

I love Happ. Justin sayin.....

[Edgy MD]

In short, please don't believe the next thing is always the better thing, just because it has the apparent virtue of unfamiliarity.

That said, I think it's a safe bet that Nimmo is better than he might look when you peek only at his current batting average. His OPS sits at a far-more-respectable .730. Secondly, that average is .283 over the last 60 at-bats.

And yeah, I'd've called up Rosario when I DL'd Cabrera:

• Firstly, the team had won three straight, so he doesn't come up with the pressure of turning the narrative around.
  
• Secondly, they probably want somebody more like a starting shortstop than they apparently consider Rivera to be, considering Reyes hasn't been hitting.
  
• Thirdly, he can take the lefties and Reyes the righties, taking the pressure off him further.
  
• Lastly, with a presumed 10-Day DL trip happening for Cabrera, it pre-places an end-date on his promotion, so there's no pressure on him to prove himself utterly and finally. If he's not performing like a wunderkind off the bat, well, he was just an injury replacement. His real launch date comes later.

The Mets' and their prospect would have gotten coverage from several different angles.

So I don't believe in dealing out and calling on the next big name when faced with adversity, but I'm ready to call those names. I don't, however, have any idea what condition Conforto's condition is in.

[Edgy MD]

Getting Rizzed on the first pitch.

#NotPartofthePlan

[Edgy MD]

Thanks for the run, Kris Bryant.

#PartofthePlan

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: #PartofthePlan

Someday we'll all understand #danfogelberg

Edited June 14, 2017 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

Harvey's change suddenly has some sort of backup, screwball-type movement.

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: Edgy MD wrote: #PartofthePlan Someday we'll all understand #danfogelberg

You don't get a Dan Fogelberg reference every day. Tip of the hat to you.

[Edgy MD]

And down goes Walker.

I get the idea we will see Rosario sooner than planned.

[Frayed Knot]

Now THIS might get Rosario called up ... unless that's merely the cramp of all time.

[Edgy MD]

Walking under his own power, anyhow.

[Edgy MD]

I suppose Schwarber could have hit that harder and longer.

In theory.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: I suppose Schwarber could have hit that harder and longer. In theory.

We won't know for sure until it lands.

[Edgy MD]

Bases jammed, and the pinch-hitter is ... Matz.

What a mess.

[Edgy MD]

Wow!

Baez should have gone straight for third.

[Edgy MD]

Looks like another earned run on Bryant's record.

[Frayed Knot]

It just occurred to me that the two right fielders in this game are not only both named Jay but also have a total of four first names out there.

[Edgy MD]

Laggy = Your Worst Nightmare

[Guest themetfairy]

Obi Juan Lagares is our only hope!

[Frayed Knot]

Considering that we're up against three HRs in this game vs Juan's triple being maybe the only hard-hit ball by the Mets all night, the fact that we're tied after six can be looked at as a good thing.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I mean, I'll take it.

I don't like our odds as the game wears on, with no PHs, and a bullpen that's already had to work OT, and the Sewalds giving way to the Salases, but I'll take the mas-o-menos coin flip.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Watching this one at a bar on a work trip. How awful was Hovvey? How awesome is Lagares?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Yeah, I missed the first few. Was Harvey that bad? I mean, sub-60 pitches over 4, good control, a handful of gopher balls, but... I mean, do you pull him there, really?

jERRY