Update:
Lucas Duda is not in tonight’s lineup against lefthander Jon Lester and the Chicago Cubs. Michael Cuddyer will man first base and bat 6th in the order.
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Could Lucas Duda be heading to the bench for the start of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs tonight with lefthander Jon Lester on the mound?
The always streaky first baseman has picked the absolute worst time to go cold again.
Terry Collins decided to start Duda in all five games in the NLDS against the Dodgers, and it resulted in an atrocious 2-for-18 showing with an alarming 13 strikeouts for the Mets slugger.
“We faced Greinke and Kershaw twice each,” Sandy Alderson said in Duda’s defense on Friday.
“That’ll put people in a slump. Fortunately somebody like Daniel Murphy rose to the occasion. But I don’t think that we’re overly concerned about it.
However, the Mets GM also suggested the possibility that manager Terry Collins may pull the plug at least in Game 1 and perhaps even in Game 2 against RHP Jake Arrieta who has held left-handed batters to a stingy .159 batting average.
“I mean, Terry may decide to do something against left-handed pitching, use somebody else at first base. I don’t know. It’s one of those things, and you hope that he catches fire, and last night you’re just waiting for him to sit one in the seats, and he has that potential.”
That sounds almost like what Collins said when asked if Duda would start against Clayton Kershaw in Game 4. “You play him because at any moment he can break out and do some damage. That’s why he’s in there.”
I love Duda, and he can carry a team when he’s hot. But right now Duda is ice. And the Mets can’t have the Cubs exploiting him while batting in the middle of the lineup.
It will be interesting to see how Terry plays it this time. How would you play it?
