|
Meet your Kansas City starting pitchers:
Johnny Cueto (R)
Cueto was a trade-deadline acquisiton from Cincinnati. The Royals gave up Brandon Finnegan, the lefty pitcher who was a big part of the KC Bullpen in the playoffs in 2014. Cueto is a free agent at the end of the season.
The Mets saw Cueto on June 26 at Citi Field this year. Pitcher's duel that Syndergaard won 2-1, despite only getting 2 hits. Granderson hit a leadoff homer and a Dilson Herrera triple in the 5th inning. (After the triple, Cueto walked Granderson, walked Campbell, and then walked Duda to force in the winning run).
In 2015, Cueto was pretty good in 19 starts for Cincinnati: 2.62 ERA, 0.934 WHIP. He struggled in 13 stars with Kansas City: 4.76 ERA, 1.451 WHIP; gave up 10 homers in 81 innings.
Cueto started game 2 of the Divison Series against Houston. Gave up 4 runs in 6 innings: 7 hits and 3 Ks. Pitched better in game 5: 8 innings, 2 hits, 2 runs, 8 strikeouts.
He then got knocked around in Game 3 of the ALCS. He failed to retire a batter in third inning before getting lifted: 8 runs, 6 hits, 4 walks, including a big three-run homer by Tulowitzki.
Cueto never hit much (41 for 384 in his career).
Mets v. Cueto:
Wright: 6 for 25, 1 homer
Murphy: 3 for 17
Duda: 3 for 15, 1 homer
Granderson: 3 for 12, 2 homers
Lagares: 2 for 12
Cuddyer: 1 for 6
Flores: 1 for 6
Johnson: 1 for 6 (a homer)
D'Arnaud: 3 for 5, 2 doubles
Plawecki: 0 for 3
Cespedes: 0 for 2
Edinson Volquez(R)
Volquez has been around a while: he was originally signed by Texas; traded to Cincinnati in the Josh Hamilton deal; had a breakout season with the Reds in 2008; PED suspension in 2010; traded to San Diego and then LA in 2013, Pittsburgh in 2014 and KC in 2015.
Volquez faced the Mets twice in 2014 with Pittsburgh: 6 shutout innings in Pittsburgh in June (Colon got hit hard by the Pirates) and a no-decision in May (both he and Niese were nothing special; Mets won it against Pirates bullpen).
3.55 ERA and 1.308 WHIP in 33 starts this year.
Volquez's postseason history includes being the losing pitcher opposite Halladay's no-hitter in 2010 (Volquez gave up 4 runs in the the first 2 innings); and being the losing pticher opposite Bumgarner's shutout in the 2014 Wild Card game for Pittsburgh (Volquez did give up 5 runs in 5 innings, including a Brandon Crawford grand slam).
Volquez started game 3 of the Division Series against Houston, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks; was pulled in the 6th inning.
He then started Game 1 of the ALCS and shut out Toronto for 6 innings (2 hits, 4 walks).
In Game 5, he gave up a homer in the 2nd inning but then pitched well until the 6th, which went: Walk-HBP-Walk-Walk before getting pulled. Two batters later Tulowutzki hits a bases-clearing double and Volquez gets the loss.
Volquez doesn't hit: 23 for 277 career.
Mets v. Volquez:
Murphy: 6 for 15, 3 walks
Johnson: 4 for 14
Wright: 2 for 13
Cuddyer: 4 for 11, 3 walks
Duda: 2 for 11, 3 walks
Granderson: 0 for 9, 4Ks
Lagares: 3 for 8
d'Arnaud: 0 for 4
Flores: 1 for 3
Cespedes: 1 for 3
Yordano Ventura (R)
Ventura is 24 years old and a product of the Kansas City system (signed as an amateur free agent from the Domincan Republic). 2015 was his second full season with the team. He was the opening day starter but pitched poorly and was going to be sent to the minors until Jason Vargas had an elbow injury. Finished strong (ERA under 2 in the final 2 months of the season). Final numbers: 4.08 ERA and 1.298 WHIP in 28 regular season starts.
In the postseason, he got pulled after 2 innings in the first game of the Division Series against Houston, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and one walk. Only threw 42 pitches. The Royals brought him back in Game 4 where he lasted 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits (2 of which were homers) and 3 walks.
He fared better in the ALCS:
Started Game 2: gave up 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks.
Started Game 6: 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks. Pulled in the middle of the 6th inning.
He did pitch extremely well in the 2014 World Series against the Giants in games 2 and 6 (7 shutout innings in game 6).
Cespedes is 1 for 7 against him; no other Met has ever faced him.
He is 1-10 batting with 8 strikeouts.
Ventura was involved in several incidents earlier in this season:
-He got ejected after intentionially hitting Brett Lawrie on April 18 (and was fined)
-He got into a tiffle with Adam Eaton of the White Sox initiating a brawl (7 game suspension)
Chris Young (R)
Young is the only ex-Met on the Royals. He's the former Princeton-basketball player, 6' 10" Chris Young, not the outfielder. You may recall he had 4 good starts for the Mets in 2011 (including the Bin Laden game on Sunday Night Baseball against the Phillies) before getting hurt; and then coming back the next year and not piching as well in 20 starts before getting hurt again.
He had a good year with the Mariners in 2014 and signed with Kansas City for 2015 as a reliever, but wound up making 18 starts. A good 3.06 ERA and 1.086 WHIP for the year.
He pitched out of the bullpen in the division series (backing up Ventura in game 1 after he got pulled early) and started Game 4 of the ALCS. Got pulled with 2 outs in the 5th inning after giving up 3 hits and 2 walks (2 runs scored).
He had that game with the Mets where he had 3 hits but overall is nothing special with the bat: 31 for 206 in his career, but hasn't played in the NL since 2012. He was 2 for 4 this year with Kansas City.
Hasn't pitched against the Mets since 2008. Mets against him:
Cespedes: 1-11
Wright: 1-9
Johnson: 2-11
Cuddyer: 2-5 (both doubles)
Murphy: 0-1, 2 walks
Granderson: 0-2
| 
