The Mets have not done well on this road trip, going 1-6 so far. They head to Los Angeles after playing until after 2 a.m. last night in Arizona for a four-game set with the Dodgers.
They head into this series needing some wins right now. Gary Cohen was mentioning on SNY last night that these two teams are similar. They are both contenders, but they are starting to slip, and need wins to get back to where they need to be.
I must say, I predicted the exact lineup before it was posted with the knowledge Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran were getting the day off, and that Rod Barajas caught all 14 innings last night. Here is tonight’s lineup, with comments from me:
1. Jose Reyes – SS Reyes went 1-for-6 last night, his only hit being a single that he got thrown out trying to extend into a double.
2. Angel Pagan – CF Pagan had a big night last, night going 3-for-5 with a home run.
3. David Wright – 3B Wright is reverting back to his old swing from earlier this season which is leaving the outside vulnerable. He went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts last night. Reyes and Wright were asked if they wanted tonight off, but both refused.
4. Ike Davis – 1B Davis had a bad series in his home state of Arizona. Last night he even got double-switched out.
5. Jeff Francoeur – RF Francoeur gets the start tonight with Beltran out of the lineup, causing Pagan to move over to center.
6. Chris Carter – LF With the news last night that Bay and Beltran would sit today, it was obvious Carter was going to get a start.
7. Josh Thole – C With Barajas catching all 14 innings last night, it was clear he wouldn’t catch today. The way Thole has played, it was pretty obvious he would get a start, especially considering he got a home run Tuesday night.
8. Luis Castillo – 2B Castillo got the day off last night, but came in on the double switch that removed Davis.
9. Hisanori Takahashi – SP Takahashi has not been a good asset for the starting rotation, and I am getting the feeling that unless he has an excellent start tonight, it will be his last start and then he will return to the bullpen.
Tonight’s starting pitching matchup will be: For the Mets, Hisanori Takahashi (7-4, 4.69 ERA) will face Hiroki Kuroda (7-8, 3.74) from the Dodgers. Tonight’s game starts at 10:10pm. Tonight’s game will be broadcast on SNY.
Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com