Saturday, April 6, 2019 • 1:10 p.m.
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
LHP Patrick Corbin (0-0, 3.00) vs. LHP Steven Matz (0-0, 1.69)
SNY • WCBS 880 AM • ESPN 1050 AM

Thursday just was not the day for the Mets, and it really started on Wednesday. We all knew that the Mets were going to have a tight turn around going from a night game in Miami to a day game in New York in a situation that didn’t seem fair. (Remember, the Mets started their road trip with a workout in Syracuse following a day game in Sarasota, and then went to DC for a day game). The situation became even more unfair for the Mets after the game as Dominic Smith was selected for a random drug test so the Mets couldn’t leave the ballpark in Miami until 11 p.m.

On top of that, Strasburg is a pretty good pitcher and on Thursday he was on his game and the Mets as a team, after slogging hits all week could only muster 4 hits against Stephen on Thursday. Now the Mets are coming off of a much needed day off, hopefully, got some sleep and are ready to take on the Nationals at WWE day at Citi Field.

Mets Lineup

  1. Brandon Nimmo  LF
  2. Pete Alonso  1B
  3. Robinson Cano  2B
  4. J.D. Davis  3B
  5. Wilson Ramos  C
  6. Michael Conforto  RF
  7. Amed Rosario  SS
  8. Keon Broxton  CF
  9. Steven Matz  P

Nationals Lineup

  1. Adam Eaton  RF
  2. Brian Dozier  2B
  3. Anthony Rendon  3B
  4. Juan Soto  LF
  5. Ryan Zimmerman  1B
  6. Yan Gomes  C
  7. Wilmer Difo  SS
  8. Patrick Corbin  P
  9. Victor Robles  CF

The Mets used the off-day to switch Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler in the rotation to break up Matz followed by Vargas in the rotation. In Matz’s first start of 2019, he allowed three runs, only one earned, over 5.1 innings off six hits and no walks while striking out three. Steven faced the Nationals a ton last year and generally struggled against them making six starts totaling 26 innings allowing 18 runs, 17 earned from 32 hits and 10 walks (a 5.88 ERA). The Nationals have the following numbers against Matz:

Patrick Corbin will make his second start of the season against the same team he made his first start of the season against. Thank you baseball schedulers. Opening Weekend against the Mets he allowed two runs off seven hits in six innings while walking two and striking out four. I feel compelled to tell you in this paragraph that Todd Frazier is 4-for-15 with a double and a homer against Corbin, even though he’s injured right now, just because today is his bobblehead day at Citi Field. The Active Mets have these individual numbers against Corbin:

Game Notes

Wilson Ramos and Amed Rosario have each hit safely in all seven games this season. The last Met with a longer
season-opening hitting streak was David Wright, who recorded at least one hit in each of his first 10 games of the 2012 season. Wright also owns the record with 14 games with a hit to start the season in 2007. In addition, Rosario’s seven-game hitting streak is the third-longest of his career (had two eight-game hitting streaks last season).

Combined, Mets starters are 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA (13 earned runs/40.1 innings) with six walks and 49 strikeouts. The
2.90 ERA ranks fifth in the National League.

Steven Matz has not factored into the decision in each of his last seven starts dating to September 1 of last season. That is the longest streak of outings without a decision by a starting pitcher in franchise history. Rick Reed (May 5-June 13, 2000), who is in attendance today, and John Pacella (September 30, 1979-June 22, 1980) are tied for second with six starts without a decision.

The Mets have recorded four double-digit hit games this season, which is tied with Arizona and Seattle for the most
in the majors this season.

New York has scored 20 runs in the seventh inning or later this season, the second most in the majors behind the
Dodgers, who have scored 21.

Let’s Go Mets!