The Mets travel to Charlotte Sports Park to face-off against the Tampa Bay Rays today at 1:05 PM. Here’s what I am looking at specifically on Sunday…
Daniel Murphy is hitting leadoff.
With both Juan Lagares and Curtis Granderson getting Sunday off, Daniel Murphy will bat leadoff for a rare occasion. While it’s not expected that Murphy will see the No. 1 spot in the batting order much, if at all, during the 2015 season, we have seen him do it before. Daniel Murphy is a terrific hitter, but is not a speedster and is aggressive at the plate, resulting in fewer walks and making him not the optimal choice for leadoff. The 2-hole is where Murphy is projected to hit, and to me, that’s the perfect place for him.
Lucas Duda continues to try and get in the swing of things.
First baseman Lucas Duda made his Grapefruit League debut on Saturday, going 1-for-4 at the plate. After dealing with an oblique issue for nearly a month, Duda is finally back on the field, a welcome site for Mets fans. Coming off a 30 home run, 92 RBI season, the Mets will rely on Duda’s power if they want to be successful in 2015, and he has plenty of time to round back into form with three weeks still left in Spring Training.
Jack Leathersich is scheduled to pitch.
Left-handed reliever Jack Leathersich, who is sporting a 16.88 ERA this Spring, will get another chance to try and distinguish himself in the Mets four-way bullpen battle. Leathersich had a rough go of it to start out Grapefruit League play, as seen in his ERA, but pitched well on Friday, allowing no runs and one hit in an inning of working, striking out one.
You can hear today’s game locally on WOR 710 or on MLB Gameday audio.
Just Mets 