|
First meeting of Mets and stRangers since 2014 and our first trip to Arlington since 2011
Mets are 8-4 overall in the lifetime series, winning 2 of 3 each time (2003, ’08’ 11, ’14)
This however will be a four-game series with the two in CitiField to take place in August
After finishing 1st (4 times) or 2nd (4 times) in the AL West 8 times over the last 9 seasons, the Rangers started 13-20 out of the gate this year to find themselves 8.5 games out of the division by May 9th. They then went on a 10-game winning streak which more than erased the losing record although barely gained in the AL West given the roaring play of their cross-state rivals. And then they gave all of that ground back by winning just 3 times in their last 14 games including a weekend sweep by the Astros (outscored 20-8) and currently sit 15 games out of 1st and just 1.5 ahead of last place Oakland.
As usual for this team and that park, they’re better at scoring runs (5th in the AL) than they are at preventing them (tied for 4th worst).
C - former Brewer Jonathan Lucroy starts about 2/3 of the time behind the plate and DHs part-time when he’s not, although backup Robinson Chirinos has been the better hitter this year.
1B - started out with Mike Napoli but he’s now 35 y/o and a total feast/famine guy: .192 BA, 65 K, 11 HR
So lately it’s been the highly touted Joey Gallo who’s young and a total feast/famine guy
A massive guy with massive power, but he’s a .191 career hitter so far (300+ ABs) even as more than half his hits go for XBs and his HRs sometimes break scoreboards. That's Crazy
He'll also play some 3B and LF and DH
2B - Rougned Odor plays everyday and pisses opposing players off on about half of them, but he also seems concerned with power and hits around the Mendoza line with few walks (.249 OBA)
SS - Elvis Andrus - Looks like the best hitter on their team this season: .305/.350/.475
3B - Adrian Beltre - now 38 y/o and in his 20th ML season - spent the entire season on the DL until just last week.
49 hits short of 3,000 and 54 HRs short of 500
OF/DH has been a mishmash of Delino DeShields, Shin-Soo Choo, Nomar Mazara, and Jared Hoying
Choo DHs more than he plays the field, but he walks a lot so he often hits leadoff.
Hoying is a 28 y/o rookie who isn’t hitting but they appear to like him in CF while Carlos Gomez is on the DL
Mazara is just 22 but with already a full year under his belt. Reminds one a lot of Pittsburgh’s Josh Bell whom we just saw. Big guy, lots of promise, lots of power, still learning how to harness it all.
DeShields seems to just fill in all around although, as the one guy on the whole roster who seems to have no power (7 careers HRs in 700 ABs) he’d have been better off better off if he was a middle infielder like his daddy.
Tuesday 8:05
Jacob deGrom, coming off his worst start of the season, vs the 2017 starting debut of … Dillon Gee!!
After 9 mediocre starts for AAA Round Rock plus 6 innings of relief work with the big club, Dillon Gee makes his first start of the season and only his 15th start since his last one as a Met in June of 2015.
Gee is filling in for the DL’d Cole Hamels.
Wednesday - 8:05
Zack Wheeler vs Yu Darvish [5-4; 3.13 ERA, 1.19 WHIP]
This is the Japanese/Iranian pitcher’s first full season since missing all of 2015 and the first part of 2016 with TJ surgery.
The Mets faced him once back on July 4th 2014 where they hit him up for 3 in the 1st (Bobby Abreu and Lucas Duda went back-to-back!!) in an eventual 6-5 NYM win. Jennry Mejia with the win in relief.
Sam Dyson was their breakout star last year, saving 38 games after being named the closer in mid-May. But a rough start this year — How Rough? … How ‘bout 1-6, no saves, 4 Blown saves, a 10.80 ERA and a WHIP of 2.58 !! — led to him first losing the 9th inning gig and then being DFA’d over the weekend.
Matt Bush is now their closer. It’s been a rough road for Bush; several off-field incidents plus a change from SS to pitcher was interrupted by him serving time for nearly killing a man in a drunk driving accident. He finally made the majors last season at age 30, 12 years after being the #1 overall draft pick by his hometown SD Padres in 2004
| 
