The Mets will look to salvage the final game of their three-game series against the Pirates this afternoon at 1:35 PM at PNC Park.
Here is today’s starting lineup for New York:
Curtis Granderson – RF
Wilmer Flores – SS
Michael Cuddyer – 1B
Daniel Murphy – 2B
John Mayberry Jr. – LF
Anthony Recker – C
Darrell Ceciliani – CF
Ruben Tejada – 3B
Jonathon Niese – LHP
Here is today’s pitching matchup between New York and Pittsburgh:
Jon Niese (3-4, 3.72 ERA) will start for the Mets.
Career vs. Pittsburgh: 3-1, 4.43 ERA, 6 starts
Career at PNC Park: 3-0, 2.41 ERA, 3 starts
Key matchups vs. Niese:
Josh Harrison: 3-for-9, 2B
Andrew McCutchen: 5-for-13, 3 2B
Pedro Alvarez: 0-for-4, RBI
Francisco Liriano (1-4, 4.15 ERA) will start for the Pirates.
Career vs. New York: 1-0, 1.69 ERA, 1 start
Career at PNC Park: 11-9, 3.38 ERA, 32 starts
Key matchups vs. Liriano:
Curtis Granderson: 6-for-29, 2B, HR
Michael Cuddyer: 2-for-5, 2 RBI
Here’s what I am looking for today from the Mets:
Jon Niese to pick himself up, and the team up.
He had an awful start his last time out against St. Louis. And I mean, he got absolutely shelled. He had an inconsistent arm slot which was causing his cutter to float and his curveball to hang, and he had no command of his two-seam fastball either. All-in-all, that combination led to an ugly evening last Tuesday.
He’s going to need that command today, as he has to find a way to deliver a win for the Mets. They need him to go deep and find some of those good fortunes which followed him before his start against the Cubs in Chicago, and get himself back on track today.
Can someone please drive some runs in?
It’s like a broken record for this offense, but for Pete’s sake, can someone please come up with a big hit?
Don’t get swept.
The Mets haven’t been swept by the Pirates in Pittsburgh since 2009. It would be a good idea to keep that going today. The Mets are tailspinning, so they need a good all-around effort from Niese and the bullpen, they need to pucker up and play better defensively, put up some crooked numbers and come home this afternoon on a happy airplane.
Just Mets 