MMO Game Thread: Mets vs Padres, 8:40 PM

Saturday, May 7, 2016 • 8:40 p.m. (ET)
Petco Park • San Diego, CA
RHP Bartolo Colon (2-1, 2.56) vs. RHP James Shields (1-4, 3.23)
PIX11 • MLBN • WOR 710 AM • ESPN 1050 AM

The Mets are learning the hard way on the West Coast that the Padres are in the midst of a rise in their pitching staff. On Friday night, the Mets dropped another close one where they couldn’t get much done at the plate in a 2-0 loss. Tonight, Bartolo Colon will try to reverse that as he takes on James Shields.

Curtis Granderson has reached base safely in 37 consecutive road games dating to August 8, 2015, the longest active streak in the major leagues. The franchise record is 38 straight road games held by Moises Alou.

Bartolo Colon ranks third in the majors with a 0.85 walk per nine innings rate and is also third in the majors with a 9.33 strikeout to walk rate. Colon has not walked any of the 56 right-handed batters he’s faced this year and has thrown 75.4 percent strikes over the last 14 days (two games) which is the highest in the majors.

Mets Lineup (17-11)

Curtis Granderson, RF
David Wright, 3B
Michael Conforto, LF
Yoenis Cespedes, CF
Lucas Duda, 1B
Neil Walker, 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Kevin Plawecki, C
Bartolo Colon, RHP

Padres Lineup (13-17)

Jon Jay, CF
Wil Myers, 1B
Matt Kemp, RF
Brett Wallace, 3B
Melvin Upton, LF
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Derek Norris, C
Jemile Weeks, 2B
James Shields, RHP

Bartolo is 2-1 over 6 games and 5 starts this year logging 31.2 innings with a 2.56 ERA. His last game he tossed eight beautiful innings allowing 7 hits, no walks, and no runs while striking out 7. Last year he did not have a good start against the Padres allowing 6 ER over 2.1 innings. The Padres have the following numbers against Bartolo:

Upton 10-33, 2B, 3B, HR
Ramirez 0-15
Jay 2-9, 2B
Kemp 4-9
Weeks 0-7
Wallace 1-5

James Sheild is 1-4 on the season over 6 starts and 39.0 innings with a 3.23 ERA. His last two starts have been excellent allowing a combined 2 earned runs over 13.0 innings against the Giants and the Rockies. In two starts last year against the Mets he went 1-1 over 14.0 innings allowing 13 hits and 5 ER (3.21 ERA) while striking out 8. The Mets have the following numbers against Shields: