New York Mets at Atlanta Braves
Turner Field, Atlanta • Game 1 1:10 PM • Game 2 7:10 PM
RHP Matt Harvey (5-1, 2.04) vs LHP Alex Wood (0-0. 3.52)
RHP Zack Wheeler (0-0, 0.00) vs LHP Paul Maholm (7-5, 3.65)
Game 1 Staring Lineup
Here is the lineup for the 1:10 p.m. matinee of a split doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves.
- Collin Cowgill, lf
- Daniel Murphy, 2b
- David Wright, 3b
- Marlon Byrd, rf
- Lucas Duda, 1b
- John Buck, c
- Juan Lagares, cf
- Omar Quintanilla, ss
- Matt Harvey, rhp
Game Notes
With last night’s rain-delayed game officially having ended at 1:22 a.m., the Mets and Braves are poised to become the first teams to have three games completed on the same calendar date since the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 23, 1996. That day, the Reds finished a game in Atlanta at 1:47 a.m., then played a doubleheader in Miami.
Dillon Gee drove in a run and took a scoreless effort into the ninth before surrendering a walk-off two-run homer to Freddie Freeman as the Braves beat the Mets, 2-1, at 1:22 a.m. at Turner Field. The game started after a three-hour, 43-minute rain delay. Lucas Duda, in his first game at first base, went 4-for-4.
Terry Collins did not second-guess the decision to send out Dillon Gee for the ninth inning. Nor did he second-guess the decision to keep Gee in the game after Justin Upton delivered a one-out single — even though ensuing batter Freddie Freeman had two of the Braves’ three hits entering the ninth inning against Gee.
Justin Turner has been placed on the disabled list with an intercostal strain. Scott Atchison has joined the Mets in Atlanta and is expected to be activated before the first or second game today. Conversely, the Braves placed rookie catcher/outfielder Evan Gattis on the DL before today’s game with a right oblique strain.
In the nightcap, by the way, Zack Wheeler (DOB: May 30, 1990) will become the first player born in the 1990s to appear in the majors with the Mets.
Matt den Dekker, who suffered a fractured right wrist during a March 24 Grapefruit League game, has returned to game action. Den Dekker is making his first appearance with Class A St. Lucie, led off and played center field, finishing 0-for-4 with an RB.
Doubleheader Preview
THE BIG DAY..
Today is more than just Harvey day. It is more than Wheeler day. It is more than Wheeler debut day. It is Harvey and Wheeler Day! I would say chances of this happening again are rather slim but the Mets run into bad weather like I miss the subway (ie. a lot). Anyway, last night’s game got delayed until after 10 and the Mets ended up losing the game 2-1 after a 2 run homer in the ninth. Gee was very close to a complete game shutout and he ended up driving in the only run of the game (#Typical). Anyway, since I’ll be working all day, here are both game previews:
Game 1:
Matt Harvey is 5-1 on the season with a 2.04 ERA over 97.0 innings with 102 K’s vs 20 BB’s. In his last start, he allowed 1 ER over 7 innings and criticized himself for not putting up 0’s. In reality, he didn’t get any run support. Last year he allowed 2 ER over 6.0 innings of work while walking 5 and striking out 3 (one of the few games where he walked more than struck out). The Braves have the following numbers against Harvey:
Freeman 0-3
Heyward 1-3, HR
Uggla 0-1
J. Upton 0-2
Alex Wood takes the mound for the Braves in the first game, making his first start in his major league career. So far this year he has pitched in 6 games, finishing 4 allowing 3 ER over 7.2 innings of work. In the minors this year he made 10 starts totaling 57.0 innings with a sparkling 1.26 ERA at the AA level. In his previous season, at A level, he had a 2.22 ERA over 52.2 innings. As to be expected, he has never faced the Mets and no current Mets have any stats against him.
Game 2:
Zack Wheeler makes his major league debut in the night cap, very close to where he grew up (how many times will we hear that tonight?). At the beginning of the season, the story line was, “Harvey is good, Wheeler is better”. It is hard to believe at this point that will be true at least at the end of this season (Harvey has been better than expected by far) but Wheeler still brings it. In pitcher friendly PCL league, he pitched in 13 games with a 3.93 ERA over 68.2 innings while striking out 73 batters. There are no MLB players with official batting numbers against him.
Paul Maholm at the age of 31, finds himself at the far end of the veteran scale when compared to the other three starters fans will see today. Maholm is 7-5 over 14 games this year while pitching 86.1 innings with a 3.65 ERA. Last year he was fantastic against the Mets in two starts, he pitched 15.0 innings and allowed no runs at all. The Mets have the following numbers against him:
Wright 8-29, 2B
Byrd 3-20, 2B
Buck 4-10, 2B, 3B, HR
Murphy 7-12
Duda 0-1
Lets Go Mets!
Going To The Game?
Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler on the mound on the same day? What a day for Mets fan as their two young phenoms get to showcase their talents in today’s doubleheader in Atlanta. Harvey will get the ball in the opener against Atlanta’s Alex Wood. Wheeler takes the hill in the second game, making his MLB debut against left-hander Paul Maholm. For Mets fans down south, they can see both games for less than the $80 average price of Mets tickets at Citi Field. In general, Braves tickets aren’t too expensive and prices for these two games are even more affordable. For game 1, the average ticket price is currently $37, with a $10 get-in price. For the second game, prices are even lower with an average price of just $32 and a $4 get-in price. Quantities for each game are getting low, so if you’re looking to scoop up some last-minute tickets you should act now.
