The Mets will look to avoid the sweep against the Braves in the finale of their three-game series at Turner Field on Sunday at 5:05 PM.
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for New York:
Curtis Granderson – RF
Juan Lagares – CF
Lucas Duda – 1B
Michael Cuddyer – LF
Wilmer Flores – SS
Kevin Plawecki – C
Dilson Herrera – 2B
Eric Campbell – 3B
Matt Harvey – RHP
Here is tonight’s pitching matchup:
Matt Harvey (7-4, 3.32 ERA) will start for the Mets.
Key matchups vs Harvey:
Chris Johnson: 0-for-3, K
Cameron Maybin: 1-for-4, 2B, K
Juan Uribe: 2-for-3
No one in the Braves lineup today has ever driven in a run against Harvey.
Julio Teheran (4-3, 5.07 ERA) will start for the Braves.
Key matchups vs Teheran:
Lucas Duda: 7-for-20, 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K
Curtis Granderson: 4-for-14, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K
Wilmer Flores: 2-for-7, HR, RBI, 2 BB, K
Here’s what I am looking for from the Mets:
How about competent defensive baseball?
For any major league team to have an all-around defense this shoddy is embarrassing, but for a team like the Mets–a franchise completely built around their pitching–it’s absolutely unacceptable. This team is making multiple mistakes and errors on a nightly basis and it’s costing them big time.
Let’s just look at Saturday night, for example. Curtis Granderson played an A.J. Pierzynski double into a triple–the next batter blooped a single into right field that drove the run home. Later in the game, Travis d’Arnaud fired to 2nd to catch the runner trying to steal, but nobody covered the base (or even tried to), the ball rolled into center field and the runner advanced to third and later scored. In the 6th inning, Juan Lagares of all people committed an error in center, allowing Andrelton Simmons to reach 2nd on a single, and setting the Braves up with 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Then, in the same inning, Logan Verrett induced a ground ball with the bases loaded. Rather than throwing home for the easy force out and saving a run, Eric Campbell, for some reason, decided to step on 3rd, getting just one out and allowing the run to score.
That’s four mistakes in one game that cost the Mets most of the runs they allowed last night, and to be quite honest, I’m probably still missing some.
This cannot continue. If it does, this team is in major trouble. They need to get better, and it starts today.
Batman needs his Robin.
Matt Harvey is both incredibly effective and competitive, but he can only do so much by himself. ‘The Dark Knight,’ as many call him, needs help. Harvey–and Mets pitchers in general–have had plenty of outings this season where they’ve been terrific, but have gotten little-to-zero run support and/or subpar defense in the field behind them.
Matt Harvey can go out there in Atlanta tonight and dominate, but that still might not be enough if he doesn’t get any support. A pitcher can only do so much, as we saw on Friday when Jacob deGrom took the loss in what was yet another brilliant start for the Mets young right-hander.
Batman needs his Robin, and–whoever he is–he needs to make his cameo soon.
Just Mets 