The Mets will look for a series win against the Padres tonight at Petco Park in San Diego at 10:10 PM ET.
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for New York:
Curtis Granderson – RF
Ruben Tejada – 3B
Lucas Duda – 1B
Daniel Murphy – 2B
Michael Cuddyer – LF
Wilmer Flores – SS
Juan Lagares – CF
Kevin Plawecki – C
Noah Syndergaard – RHP
Here is tonight’s pitching matchup:
Noah Syndergaard (2-2, 1.82 ERA) will start for the Mets.
Note: This is Syndergaard’s first career start against the Padres.
Ian Kennedy (2-5, 7.15 ERA) will start for the Padres.
Career vs. New York: 4-2, 4.66 ERA, 8 starts
Career at Petco Park: 14-11, 4.01 ERA, 34 starts
Key matchups vs. New York:
Michael Cuddyer: 4-for-17, 3 2B, HR, 2 RBI
Curtis Granderson: 5-for-9, HR, 3 RBI
John Mayberry Jr.: 3-for-8, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
Daniel Murphy: 3-for-15, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
Here is what I am looking for from the Mets tonight:
A happy #ThorsDay.
Syndergaard has been fantastic since he got here, and he has gotten even better since his last start against the Phillies. A scoring change from May 22 has resulted in his ERA being reduced to 1.82 for the year after a hit was changed to an error against Lucas Duda. That’s representative of his ability to pound the strike zone with his blinding fastball and devastating curveball. He could be given a little longer leash tonight thanks to the Mets transitioning to a six-man rotation beginning tomorrow, but he’s pitching in a big ballpark (despite an unusual amount of home runs being hit there) in Petco Park tonight, so the elements should play to his advantage should he have the command he’s featured in his first four big league starts.
Keep the streak(iness) alive.
Daniel Murphy is on an incredible run over the last month’s worth of baseball games, sporting a .352 average and a .397 on-base percentage over that span. He more or less has carried the offense lately along with Lucas Duda, but with Duda’s knee barking, the Mets are counting on Murphy continuing to let the good times role.
A west coast upward swing.
A win tonight would give the Mets a series win, of course. But, it seems like its extra important to secure that win considering San Diego hasn’t historically been a friendly place for the Mets. Knowing they’d be leaving Southern California with at least two would be a nice mental lift for a club which is obviously searching for some consistency amid the absences of so many key players.
Just Mets 