The Crane Pool Forum

Game 3 of the 3-game series between the Mets and the Cardinals. Jose Quintana for the Mets and Sonny Gray (0.89 ERA) for the Cardinals.
https://www.mlb.com/gameday/mets-vs-car ... 84/preview. Game time is 1:15 (ET). STL is a 1.5 run favorite and the O/U is 7.5 runs. I was there for the 1st 2 games. The Mets are on their own today.

Wet and windy forecast for today...

Predicting two new pitchers join the team today. I'll say Yohan Ramirez and ... Josh Walker.

Brandon Nimmo (L) LF
Tyrone Taylor (R) RF
Francisco Lindor (S) SS
Pete Alonso (R) 1B
J.D. Martinez (R) DH
Brett Baty (L) 3B
Harrison Bader (R) CF
Joey Wendle (L) 2B
Omar Narváez (L) C

Jose Quintana (LHP)
1-3, 5.20 ERA, 25 SO

José Fermín (R) 2B
Lars Nootbaar (L) LF
Nolan Arenado (R) 3B
Iván Herrera (R) DH
Alec Burleson (L) 1B
Dylan Carlson (S) RF
Masyn Winn (R) SS
Pedro Pagés (R) C
Michael Siani (L) CF

Sonny Gray (RHP)
4-1, 0.89 ERA, 38 SO

Sonny is a tough customer. But a return to form by Quintana vs this whiffy Cardinal team can blunt that advantage

It feels like Taylor hasn't seen a lot of lineups recently, so a warm welcome back to him.

Interesting to see Wendle back in the lineup, two days after he kind of mysteriously disappeared. Doubly interesting that he's subbing for McNumpty, after Jeff had perhaps his best game of the season yesterday. I imagine he's been getting real lippy, and Mendoza wants to take him down a peg.

I commented last year that Buck used to sit batters when it looked like they were starting to get hot.
And early this year I posted that I hoped the new manager wouldn't do that.
If a batter is in a groove, keep him in there. It isn't as though this is a lefty- lefty thing.

Later

Maybe Jeff ate too many acorns for breakfast and his tum tum hurts.

From Rotowire site:

ANALYSIS
McNeil is likely just sitting out as part of a planned rest day, as he had started each of the Mets' last 30 games
dating back to April 5. Joey Wendle will fill in for McNeil at the keystone.

He's just starting to get hot. There's an off day tomorrow. It doesn't make sense to me.

It may not matter. The latest weather forecast indicates that there will be heavy rain in St. Louis until around midnight. It looks like the Mets will have to make a one-day return trip later this season.

Some managers prefer to choose days adjacent to off days as rest days for players who otherwise play every day.

Not the way I would work it, but some tend to aim for 48-hour sitdowns to help a guy keep his legs under him.

I wonder how many fans are still in the ballpark?

Benjamin Grimm wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2024 2:57 pm I wonder how many fans are still in the ballpark?

Best fans in baseball? Probably packed

Benjamin Grimm wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2024 2:57 pm I wonder how many fans are still in the ballpark?

The ones who still have beer money.
Later

See you August 5.

McNeil gets his blow and so does everybody elbus.

Oh good. The Mets were in need of more travel days in August.

I said they would be making a one-day trip to St. Louis in August and my wife asked if it was punishment for breaking Willson Contreras' hand.

From August 2 to September 1, the Mets will play 29 games in 31 days with only 9 home games. There will be two west coast trips, they will play in 3 different time zones for 3 consecutive days (August 4 to 6) and none of the road games will be in the eastern time zone (we'll be tired, too!)

According to The Athletic, the August schedule (even before the STL addition) results from having an easier road schedule around the London trip.

Edgy MD wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2024 8:55 pmI said they would be making a one-day trip to St. Louis in August and my wife asked if it was punishment for breaking Willson Contreras' hand.

Lol, cha cha cha...

(see what I did there?)