Well, the Mets find themselves in a familiar position. Coming home from a nine-game road trip in which they went 6-3, they open a ten-game homestand against Atlanta with hopes of maintaining their success. Their record at Citi Field has been a problem since the new park opened. If this season is going to be any different, if the Mets dream of meeting Sandy Alderson’s lofty 90 win goal, it has to start with playing well at home. The Amazins will play Atlanta for three, St. Louis for four, and and close the homestand with Miami for three.
The Braves – Since We Last Saw Them
It was just a week ago when the Mets went to Atlanta and won two out of three. Since then, the Braves have been taking advantage of their dominance against Washington, winning three straight, before taking two out of three from the Phillies. Atlanta leads the division with a 10-5 record. They have done so hitting home runs, playing exceptional defense, and getting excellent starting pitching despite a rash of injuries. Aaron Harang and Ervin Santana proving to be fantastic late acquisitions. Having lost Brian McCann to the Yankees, Evan Gattis has taken the catching reigns, batting .378 with 4 home runs in ten games played. Gattis joins Freddie Freeman and Justin Upton as the power group, all with four home runs on the young season.
2014 Lineup
- Jason Heyward RF
- B.J. Upton CF
- Freddie Freeman 1B
- Justin Upton LF
- Evan Gattis C
- Dan Uggla 2B
- Chris Johnson 3B
- Andrelton Simmons SS
Key Injuries
- It is almost unfathomable to comprehend the amount of pitching the Braves lost to Tommy John surgery. Free agent SP Gavin Floyd is recovering from Tommy John, RP Jonny Venters is also recovering, but may not pitch until June. And both SP Kris Medlan and SP Brandon Beachy will miss the season due to Tommy John, as well as RP Cory Gearrin.
Interesting Notes
- Chris Young is expected to be activated tonight. He hit .667 (8-12) with 2 home runs in his rehab play.
- The Mets have scored first 10 times this season, yet they have had a better record when the opposing team strikes first. They are 4-6 when scoring first, and 4-1 when being scored upon.
- Over the last 11 games, the Mets bullpen is 3-1 with 2 saves and a 3.00 ERA.
Pitching Probables
Friday (7:10): LHP Jon Niese (0-1, 3.46) vs. RHP Aaron Harang (2-0, 0.96)
Saturday (7:10): RHP Bartolo Colon (1-2, 6.00) vs. RHP Ervin Santana (1-0, 0.64)
Sunday (1:10): RHP Zack Wheeler (1-2, 4.76) vs. RHP David Hale (0-0, 2.89)
