New York Mets vs Washington Nationals: April 9th-April 11th

[ljshorty89]

Mike Pelfrey (0-0, -.--) vs Garrett Mock (0-0, -.--)
Oliver Perez (0-0, -.--) vs John Lannan (0-1, 12.27)
Johan Santana (1-0, 1.50) vs Livan Hernandez (0-0, -.--)

[ljshorty89]

The lineup us as follows:

1. Angel Pagan CF
2. Alex Cora 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. Jason Bay LF
5. Mike Jacobs 1B
6. Jeff Francoeur RF
7. Rod Barajas C
8. Ruben Tejada SS
9. Mike Pelfrey P

Mike Pelfrey (10-12, 5.03 ERA in 2009) will start for the Mets. Pelfrey is making his first start of the season tonight, and while his last start of Spring Training against the Rays was a successful one, he struggled overall in the month of March, going 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA.

Garrett Mock (3-10, 5.62 ERA in 2009) will start for the Nationals. In 2009, Mock made 28 appearances and 15 starts, and struggled with control, issuing 44 walks in just 91 1/3 innings. He struggled during Spring Training this year, compiling an 0-4 record with a 5.75 ERA.



Finally, Manuel moves Jacobs out of the cleanup spot. Castillo is supposedly getting the day off for sore calves or something of the sort. Tejada feels more comfortable at SS, so Cora slides over to 2B. I like Pagan in the leadoff spot. I think this lineup is solid. Hopefully Pelfrey shows up tonight. AND, Jose Reyes is set to be taken off the DL and starting tomorrow night! I'm excited, this team is soooo much better when he plays. A win would be a nice way to stop this slide before it gets too far. Let's Go Mets!

[ljshorty89]

85 games into Citi Field's history, we have PROOF that it isn't impossible to hit HR's. Francoeur and Barajas EACH hit 2 HR, and yet somehow Wright's bomb stayed in the park. Either way, offense looked good, Pelfrey looked strong through 6 innings, and the bullpen did what we asked of it. Complete and all-around victory! Nice win tonight.

[missionhockey21]

LJ, is Francouer for real? It's not a ton of AB's, but his stint with the Mets has been pretty impressive since he came over from Atlanta...

[ljshorty89]

Today's lineup

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Alex Cora 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. Jason Bay 1B
5. Jeff Francoeur RF
6. Gary Matthews Jr. CF
7. Fernando Tatis 1B
8. Henry Blanco C

Oliver Perez (3-4, 6.82 ERA in 2009) will start for the Mets. After a poor Spring, Perez enters his first start of the season with more questions than answers to last year’s abysmal season. Perez made two starts against Washington last year, and was 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in just 10 1/3 innings.

John Lannan (9-13, 3.88 ERA in 2009) will start for the Nationals. The 24 year old Lannan has emerged as Washington’s ace, although his record last season doesn’t show it. Lannan is making his second start of the year today after getting beaten up by the Phillies on Opening Day, and in five starts against the Mets last year, he went 2-2 with a 2.43 ERA.

I don't have anything more to say than it's AMAZING to see Jose back! Let's Go Mets! (And don't suck too much, Ollie)

[ljshorty89]

LJ, is Francouer for real? It's not a ton of AB's, but his stint with the Mets has been pretty impressive since he came over from Atlanta...

I'm not entirely sure. I don't think he's ever going to be a STAR, but I think he showed his potential a couple years in Atlanta, he can hit for an acceptable average with 20-25 HR and drive in his share of runs. The thing is, in Atlanta, supposedly they told him, flat out, you NEED to walk more. The Mets have instead (from what I hear) been telling him "walks are nice, but what you NEED to do is just recognize pitches earlier, understand the count, and be more disciplined." Essentially, they're letting him swing relatively freely like he always has, but asking him to do swing with a different understanding of hitting. It seems to be working, and he has a couple walks already this season. He really looks good. I think he'll end up around .270, 20, 75. And that's not bad for a 6 or 7 hitter in your lineup.

[ljshorty89]

- Tyler ****ing Clippard?! Really?! He's ****ING TYLER CLIPPARD! GAH!

- WILLIE ****ING HARRIS has no robbed the Mets of 3 9th inning game tying or winning hits in the past 4 seasons. Ugh. The son of a ***** only plays OF because JERRY MANUEL told him to. GAH!

-This team is so frustrating.

-Oliver Perez can't get Willy Taveras out. GAH!