The Mets open their 2015 championship season with the first of a three-game series against the Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington at 4:05 PM.
Here is today’s starting lineup:
1) Curtis Granderson RF
2) David Wright 3B
3) Lucas Duda 1B
4) Michael Cuddyer LF
5) Daniel Murphy 2B
6) Juan Lagares CF
7) Travis d’Arnaud C
8) Wilmer Flores SS
9) Bartolo Colon RHP
Here is today’s pitching matchup:
Bartolo Colon (15-13, 4.09 ERA in 2014) will start for the Mets. Colon was the winningest pitcher on the Mets staff last year winning 15 or more games and throwing 200 or more innings for the eighth time in his career in 2014. Colon is the oldest pitcher to ever start on Opening Day for the Mets at 41 years and 317 days old, and is making his seventh career Opening Day start today. Colon made five starts against the Nationals in 2014, going 1-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 30 innings against them, and is 2-5 with a 3.45 ERA in seven career starts against Washington overall.
Key matchups vs. Colon:
Ian Desmond: 4-for-12, 2 HR
Yunel Escobar: 6-for-14
Bryce Harper: 1-for-10, 4K
Max Scherzer (18-5, 3.15 ERA in 2014) will start for the Nationals. Scherzer joins an already strong rotation as the Nationals gear up for a run at a world championship in 2015. Scherzer has won 15 or more games in each of the last three seasons, has throwing 200 or more innings in two consecutive seasons, and has issued three walks or less per nine innings in four consecutive seasons. Scherzer hasn’t pitched against the Mets since 2013, and is 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA in four appearances and three starts in his career against New York.
Key matchups vs. Scherzer:
Michael Cuddyer: 4-for-17, 2B, HR
Curtis Granderson: 4-for-12, HR
Daniel Murphy: 2-for-8
Here are three things I am looking for from the Mets on Opening Day…
Quality strikes from Colon.
Colon was roughed up during Spring Training as he was mostly up in the zone and struggled to throw quality strikes from the beginning. He threw quite a number of breaking balls this spring, which is unusual considering he is predominantly a fastball pitcher. He can’t live up un the zone and be successful, so I’m looking for him to go inside against left-handed hitters in particular and use his tailing fastball down and on that corner today.
Daniel Murphy and the hamstring.
So far, Murphy has recovered well from his hamstring injury which kept him out of big league spring training games over the final two weeks of camp. But it’s worth watching to see how his hamstring responds in a game which has meaning, considering the injury is just under three weeks old and they often take longer to heal.
Can the Mets pounce on Scherzer early?
Scherzer doesn’t walk many batters, so I wonder how aggressive the Mets will be against him early in this game, and early in the count in general. He doesn’t typically struggle early in games like many aces often do. And, his numbers are historically better as he gets deeper into games. Still, the Mets practice patience, and guys like Scherzer can do a lot to counter that philosophy, so it will be interesting to see if the Mets make an early adjustment to their typical practice.
Just Mets 