IGT - Mets @ Houston - 9/2/17 - 1st game of DH

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah Houston.
Y'know, born the same year as us, used to be league-mates but apparently lost a bet of some kind so were exiled to the DH league.
Lotsa rain, big flood, sympathy and all that.

Team has a huge lead in their division -- like clinched a playoff slot back in May sometime -- but they skidded to a 11-17 August which does put their near season-long AL best record in trouble (are now
just +2.5 on Cleveland, +4.0 on Boston) if you're one of those who think that stuff actually means anything.


Today's 2:10 EDT start features Matt Harvey vs Charlie Morton
Morton -- the 33 y/o ex-Brave, ex-Pirate from Redding, CT -- is 10-6 with a 3.88 ERA 1.22 WHiP in 20 starts this year. Doesn't seem to go deep into games (5-6 innings most of the time) but who does
these days?
Harvey, of course, is making his first start in like 4,567 days and during rehab starts his fastball was reportedly clocked at speeds up to 62 mph so we're not quite sure what we're going to get from the
big dope here. He's probably on a pitch count which may even extend into double digits. Fortunately it's September so we have 19 relievers in the pen to take over and pitch until they each get either
one out or reach a pitch count of 35 whichever comes first.
And it's a DH game so not only will we likely have a middle infielder in the outfield but we'll probably have one at DH too .. and won't that be fun.
The good news is that we'll miss both their existing ace Dallas Keuchel and their newly imported ace Justin Verlander. Whether there will be any Kate Upton sightings has yet to be determined.



Quick Astros overview:
C - Brian McCann - still fat and slow and bald
1B - Yuli Gurriel - Cuban import, some power, good average, few walks
2B - Jose Altuve - just 4' 5" yet averages 7 hits per game
SS - Carlos Correa is on the DL so other guys play there instead
3B - Whichever other guy ins't filling in at SS that day fills in at 3rd
OF - rather than set spots, they seem to have a rotation system in their OF like it's volleyball or something meaning that anyone could be anywhere in a given game. So some combo of Josh Reddick,
rookie Derek Fisher (2014 1st round pick), George Springer (still trying to prove he's a cousin), Jake Marisnick, Marwin Gonzalez (they'll play him anywhere), the newly picked-up Cameron Maybin,
and even 56 y/o Carlos Beltran will cover the three slots plus DH.

Overall they have a very good defense and have somehow managed to train their guys to hit for power and yet not strike out all the time despite being a total all-or-nothing team just a year or two ago.
So they're tops in the AL in BA, OBA, SLG, and R/G; also are tops in 2Bs, 3rd in HRs, only slightly below average in walks, and yet have the fewest strikeouts in the league by a lot!
Sound familiar? Yeah, not to me either.

[G-Fafif]

Reyes 2B
Nimmo LF
Cabrera 3B
Flores "DH"
d'Arnaud C
Rosario SS
Smith 1B
Taijeron RF
Lagares CF

And pitching, Matt Harvey. Maybe just call him Matt today.

[G-Fafif]

Home team:

Springer DH
Bregman SS
Altuve 2B
Reddick RF
Gonzalez 1B
Maybin CF
Davis 3B
Centeno C
Kemp LF

Charlie Morton pitches.

[ashie62]

[Guest themetfairy]

Welcome Back Matt!

[ashie62]

Matt says he feels well so bring it on!

[Guest cooby]

Who's the nipple-less girl?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Jamie Callahan looks like he stopped in the airport to get a fresh haircut.

[Guest themetfairy]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Jamie Callahan looks like he stopped in the airport to get a fresh haircut.

He kind of looks like a young Al Leiter, doesn't he?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Harv looks like he's going for 80 pitches right here in the 1st

[A Boy Named Seo]

Matt Harvey does not want us all to waste the middle part of our Saturday on a long, holiday weekend! Thanks, Matt!

[Guest d'Kong76]

cooby wrote: Who's the nipple-less girl?

I think she has those new nipples that are all the rage out west. After they blow
her up they push them in flush... similar to nips you find on a beach ball. Big $$.

[Edgy MD]

Charlie Morton teaching Matt Harvey how to pitch.

[ashie62]

The nipple free girl is new Astro Justin Verlander's girlfriend Kate Upton.

[Edgy MD]

The sad thing about that Springer homer is that it wasn't that bad of a pitch. But Harvey has nothing on it.

[Edgy MD]

Harvey uncorks a wild pitch and the Houston DJ booth is ready with a "Born to Be Wild" sound cue.

A little bush, and Harvey gets Gonzalez on the next pitch. Way to get angry.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Edgy MD wrote: The sad thing about that Springer homer is that it wasn't that bad of a pitch. But Harvey has nothing on it.

Yepp. Got Marwin on the backwards K, but that "fast"ball was 92.

[Lefty Specialist]

Matt Harvey doing his very best to lift spirits in the Houston area. Job well done. Now go home for the winter.

[Edgy MD]

The Mets need a couple of players named "Marwin."

[Guest 41Forever]

Not Harvey's best performance.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Thank god Tommy Milone's out there now

[Frayed Knot]

Morton has 7 of the 9 outs via Ks.
Harvey had 3 Ks but I believe all were Ks were looking and I'm not sure there was a single swing and miss by the Astros.

[Edgy MD]

41Forever wrote: Not Harvey's best performance.

A small possibility that it's his last, however.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Unless there's some physical set back, I think they'll run him out there at
least one more time if not two.

Smith with a nice opposite-field kaboom to get the Mets on the board.

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: ... and I'm not sure there was a single swing and miss by the Astros.

Checking the record:

• Josh Reddick (first inning, fourth overall batter) had a swing and miss (94.6 mph 4-seam fastball).
  
  
  
• Marwin Gonzalez (second inning, 14th overall batter) had a swing and miss (83.8 mph curveball).

[Edgy MD]

d'Kong76 wrote: Unless there's some physical set back, I think they'll run him out there at least one more time if not two.

I agree.

[Edgy MD]

You know, Taijeron was a productive hitter for three seasons in AAA without tasting the bigs, but the Mets kept him down, thinking his contact rates and chase rates and defensive acuity suggested that he would not translate into a big league hitter.

Who was the Mets staffer who championed that opinion? Put that person in charge.

[Edgy MD]

Pretty funny that Keith is talking about what he can't say on the air, and Gary counters with, "You see Roark pitch last night?"

[Frayed Knot]

Gary reporting that the Ver has Landed.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: ... and I'm not sure there was a single swing and miss by the Astros. Checking the record: Josh Reddick (first inning, fourth overall batter) had a swing and miss (94.6 mph 4-seam fastball). Marwin Gonzalez (second inning, 14th overall batter) had a swing and miss (83.8 mph curveball).

Well that's two out of 70, that's ... uhh, not good.
Meanwhile my estimate for NYM swing and misses today is somewhere around half of Morton's pitches.