Just Mets

The Mets will go for a series win against the Reds this afternoon at 4:10 PM at Citi Field.

Here is this afternoon’s starting lineup for New York:

Curtis Granderson – RF
Ruben Tejada – 3B
Lucas Duda – 1B
Michael Cuddyer – LF
Wilmer Flores – SS
Juan Lagares – CF
Kevin Plawecki – C
Matt Harvey – RHP
Dilson Herrera – 2B

Here is Saturday’s pitching matchup:

Matt Harvey (7-5, 3.18 ERA) will start for the Mets.

Key matchups vs. Harvey:

Jay Bruce: 1-for-6, 2B, RBI
Brandon Phillips: 2-for-6, 2B, RBI
Joey Votto: 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI

Michael Lorenzen (3-2, 3.56 ERA) will start for the Reds.

This is Lorenzen’s first career start against New York.

Here’s what I’m looking for from the Mets today:

Just a teeny, weeny more offense, please?

Two hits just isn’t going to cut it. After all, Friday night was the first time the Mets have recorded two hits and won a game in six years. So, I get the feeling they’re going to need more hits to notch a win this afternoon.

It’s #HarveyDay.

Harvey has been brilliant in his last two starts – he’s allowed just one run in 13 2/3 innings over that span, lowering his ERA 42 points in the process. The problem is, he’s 1-1 in those two starts.

When the ace gives up one run or less, the Mets need to win the game. Period, end of story. The Mets. The Mets have given Harvey three runs or less in seven of his last nine starts, and even though he hasn’t pitched well in some of those outings, he deserves better than a 2-5 record during that span.

He seems to have gotten through whatever wall or whatever mechanical issue he was having earlier this month, and I expect more of that success again this afternoon. He needs his team to play better behind him and score some runs.

Lucas Duda needs to start cooking again.

Sandy Alderson said on Friday the club needs the guys who are here to step up and start hitting and playing better, and he is 100 percent correct.

There’s no better example of this than Duda, who’s bat has gone completely dead over the last 23 games. He is a mid-lineup bat who has posted a .552 OPS with five extra-base hits and seven RBI in that span. He is a big part of the new depth of bad the Mets offense has reached in the last few weeks, and that just needs to change.

He knows that. It’s in there, too.