Just Mets

The Mets will look to salvage the final game of their three-game series against the Marlins at Citi Field beginning at 1:10 PM.

Here is today’s starting lineup for New York:

Curtis Granderson – RF
Ruben Tejada – 3B
Lucas Duda – 1B
Daniel Murphy – 2B
Wilmer Flores – SS
John Mayberry Jr. – LF
Juan Lagares – CF
Anthony Recker – C
Bartolo Colon – RHP

Here is today’s pitching match up:

Bartolo Colon (7-3, 4.82 ERA) will start for the Mets.

Season vs. Miami: 1-1, 3.29 ERA, 2 starts
Career vs. Miami: 4-3, 3.42 ERA, 7 starts
Career at Citi Field: 12-10, 3.96 ERA, 22 starts

Key matchups vs. Colon:

Ichiro Suzuki: 27-for-93, 3 HR, 9 RBI
Giancarlo Stanton: 6-for-8, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Christian Yelich: 2-for-11, 3 K

David Phelps (2-2, 3.56 ERA) will start for the Marlins.

Season vs. New York: 0-0, 2.53 ERA, 2 starts
Career vs. New York: 0-1, 5.73 ERA, 3 starts
Career at Citi Field: 0-0, 1.93 ERA, 1 start

Key matchups vs. Phelps:

Daniel Murphy:  3-for-6, 2B, RBI
Lucas Duda: 1-for-6, 3 K
Curtis Granderson: 1-for-5, 2B

Here’s what I am looking for from the Mets this afternoon:

A good start from the starting pitcher.

The starting pitching has really been inconsistent over the last three weeks, and Colon has been mostly ineffective during that span. He bounced back to a degree in his last start but still did not resemble the control artist he was with his two-seam fastball early in the year. He has a tough matchup ahead of him today – Ichiro and Stanton tend to hit him hard, so it’s going to be extra important he finds that command once again this afternoon and help the Mets avoid being swept by a last place team at home.

Bullpen bounce back.

I’m willing to bet the bullpen is going to be involved today, and yesterday they sprung a pretty big leak thanks to a couple of home runs allowed by Alex Torres late in the game. Hopefully, they get into this game with a lead and Terry Collins doesn’t need to rely on them for more than two or three innings, but they need to pitch better than they did yesterday to walk out of Citi Field with a win today.

Go out on a high note.

A win today ensures a winning and mostly productive homestand despite having already lost this series. They have a tall task at hand as they head out west tonight, and a solid and convincing victory can help get them out of here with smiles on their faces and some momentum as they head to San Diego, a place that never seems to be easy for them to play in.