IGT 6/19/17 - NYM@LAD - Late Night with Zack Wheeler

[Chad ochoseis]

When 25 guys travel to California for a 10:10 ballgame, hijinks ensue.

Wheeler going up against some dude named Clayton Kershaw. Statcast says his best pitch is a 93mph four-seamer. This one should be easy.

[Fman99]

I'm petering out at 10:10 PM, as a rule. Five straight nights of late games. I doubt I see much of any of these past the first 3 innings or so.

[Edgy MD]

Nap early! Commit!

[Guest d'Kong76]

NY Mets at LA Dodgers
When: 10:10 PM ET, Monday, June 19, 2017
Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California
By Gracenote

The Los Angeles Dodgers need every win they can get to keep pace in the National League West, and they've been winning plenty of late. The Dodgers go for their fourth straight victory and 10th in 11 contests when they begin a nine-game homestand with the opener of a four-game series against the New York Mets on Monday.

Los Angeles went 5-1 on a road trip through Ohio, which was capped by a three-game sweep of Cincinnati, and sits tied with Arizona (44-26), one game behind Colorado (46-26) for first in the division. The Mets dropped three of four over the weekend to Washington but take to the road with some momentum after capturing the series finale 5-1 on Sunday behind a strong start from Jacob deGrom. "Don't pick up the newspapers. Just go win baseball games," New York manager Terry Collins told reporters of his message to his team on the eve of a 10-game road trip. "The only thing you can control is how you play. If you go win games, you'll get back in the race." The Mets will try to win Monday's game behind Zack Wheeler, while the Dodgers counter with ace Clayton Kershaw.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Zack Wheeler (3-4, 4.48 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (9-2, 2.23)

Wheeler had a string of seven straight starts with fewer than four earned runs allowed come to an end Tuesday, when he was lit up by the Chicago Cubs. The 27-year-old yielded eight runs on six hits - two homers - and three walks in 1 2/3 innings before being pulled and taking the loss. Wheeler, who sat out 2015 and 2016 while recovering from elbow surgery, is making his first career start against Los Angeles.

Kershaw hit a snag with a start against Chicago on May 28 that lasted just 4 1/3 innings but has been back to his Cy Young Award-winning form over the last three outings. The veteran Texan allowed a total of four runs over 21 frames in those three turns, including a win at Cleveland on Tuesday. Kershaw never has lost to the Mets, as he owns a career record of 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 11 starts.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Dodgers 3B Justin Turner has hit safely in each of his last 13 games and is batting .385 on the season.
2. New York 3B Wilmer Flores is 3-for-27 over his last seven games.
3. Los Angeles RHP Kenley Jansen fanned a pair in a perfect ninth inning on Sunday and has recorded 50 strikeouts without a walk this year.

[Ceetar]

Fman99 wrote: I'm petering out at 10:10 PM, as a rule. Five straight nights of late games. I doubt I see much of any of these past the first 3 innings or so.

I plan to aggressively fall asleep to these.

The Mets haven't exactly made themselves must-see TV either. if they'd taken 3/4 from the Nats, I'd make a point to stay alert.

I'm actually kinda surprised Rosario isn't meeting them there.

[Lefty Specialist]

I'll get the recaps in the morning.

[Fman99]

Edgy MD wrote: Nap early! Commit!

I can't nap on weeknights, it fucks every thing else up for me. It's a vicious cycle. I'll count on AM recaps and IGT morning perusal.

[Frayed Knot]

Not to worry, the game will be over before 1:00
Oh wait, a 10:10 start these days is as likely to last until 1:50 as it is to be over by 12:50

[Chad ochoseis]

I'm visiting my mom in AZ, so it's a 7:10 start for me. I may give it a look so the rest of you don't have to.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm gonna try but with Wifey Bucket on the road for work this week I gotta rise early and make lunch and stuff. I dunno. I have a feeling the Mets might shock us and have a good trip.

[Ceetar]

Kershaw will be chased before most of us go to bed.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I'm off tonight, but my weird-ass body clock isn't. See you at 10:10 and beyond.

[G-Fafif]

Kershaw Killers (maybe...you never know)

Conforto CF
T. Rivera 3B
Cespedes LF
Bruce RF
Flores 1B
d'Arnaud C
Reyes SS
Cecchini 2B
Wheeler P

[G-Fafif]

Terrible human beings:

Utley 2B
Seager SS
Turner 3B
Bellinger 1B
Taylor LF
Pederson CF
Grandal C
Hernandez RF
Kershaw P

[Edgy MD]

Cecchini gets his first start of the year. Duda takes his 2-16 line against Kershaw to the bench, as does Granderson with his modestly effective 5-23. But Céspedes and his 1-16 gets deployed.

You won't hear me complain.

Mets vs. Kershaw

Curtis Granderson:

.217 / .280 / .304 // .584 in 25 PA

=#FF8000]Jay Bruce:

.250 / .286 / .550 // .836 (2 homers!) in 21 PA

Lucas Duda:

.125 / .222 / .125 // .347 in 18 PA

=#FF8000]Jose Reyes:

.188 / .235 / .188 // .423 in 17 PA

Yoenis Céspedes:

.067 / .067 / .067 // .133 in 15 PA

=#FF8000]Wilmer Flores:

.250 / .250 / .250 // .500 in 12 PA

Rene Rivera:

.250 / .333 / .250 // .583 in 9 PA

=#FF8000]Travis d'Arnaud:

.000 / .000 / .000 // .000 in 6 PA

Jacob deGrom:

.000 / .000 / .000 // .000 in 3 PA

=#FF8000]Michael Conforto:

.000 / .000 / .000 // .000 in 1 PA

Steven Matz:

.000 / .000 / .000 // .000 in 1 PA

Bruce's 2 homers are the only two homers by any active Mets, and no, neither of them were hit as a Met. Daniel Murphy homered off of him as a Met twice in the playoffs. The now-injured Asdrubal Cabrera homered off of him last year, and way back in his MLB second start ever in 2008, he coughed one up to Luis Castillo, remarkably enough.

I don't see Castillo being re-activated in time for tonight's game.

[metirish]

Going to watch a few innings, let's go Mets

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Kershaw's warmup music: "We Are Young," by Fun. I'm pretty sure Nate Ruess (or whoever wrote it) never witnessed a road Wheeler start.

[Fman99]

I'd like to see Wheeler keep his pitch count down.

[Fman99]

Yeah, way to make then wait 11 pitches before they score. F'n hell.

[Edgy MD]

You get ahead, try a breaking pitch to finish 'em off, there, Zack.

I mean, you've got a good one.

[Fman99]

Wow. It's like they WANT me to go to bed early.

[Edgy MD]

Well, that should send half of New York to bed.

[Guest 41Forever]

Good night.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

That's considerate of them. Such polite guests.

[Fman99]

Lol, Kershaw is 91-0 in his career when given four runs of support. So, you know, there you go and such. Uh, so, how are you guys doing? Hot enough these days?

[metirish]

I'm revising my few innings, Christ,what a mess

[Edgy MD]

"They are taking swings off him like they know what's comin'." — Gary Cohen

Maybe they know what's coming. But hey, the breaking ball gets him. Shoulda listened to me.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Zack's gotta drill a guy in the ribcage

[Chad ochoseis]

I'm thinking about going to sleep, too. And it's only 7:55 here.

[Edgy MD]

Do the Mets and the Dodgers use the same baseballs?