The Mets continue their final series of the year on Sunday against the Astros at Citi Field. Rookie righthander Rafael Montero (1-3, 4.38) will take the mound for the Mets and he’ll oppose Samuel Deduno (2-6, 4.66) for the Astros. First pitch is at 7:10 PM.
Montero is making his eighth major league start. He earned his first major league win in his last start on September 10 vs. Colorado when he tossed 5.1 shutout innings, allowed three hits and four walks and notched seven strikeouts. Over his last two starts, Montero has fanned 13 and allowed one run in 12.2 innings.
Travis d’Arnaud will undergo surgery early next week to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. He finished the year with 13 home runs, the most by a rookie catcher in team history and currently the most among NL rookies this season. Only two Mets have led NL rookies in home runs (Darryl Strawberry with 26 in 1983 and Ron Swoboda with 19 in 1965).
The Mets will begin the 2015 regular season on April 6 at Washington. The Home Opener is Monday, April 13 vs. the Phillies. The 2015 schedule also features the Subway Series returning to weekend matchups on April 24-26 at Yankee Stadium and at Citi Field September 18-20. The Boston Red Sox are set to make their first-ever regular season visit to Citi Field for a weekend matchup, August 28-30.
In the first year of Major League Baseball’s instant replay review system, the Mets have challenged 31 calls and have been successful on 14 of them. Overall, the Mets have been involved in 59 plays that have gone to instant replay with 30 of those calls being overturned.
Starting Lineup
- Matt den Dekker, cf
- Eric Young Jr., lf
- Daniel Murphy, 3b
- Lucas Duda, 1b
- Curtis Granderson, rf
- Wilmer Flores, 2b
- Anthony Recker, c
- Ruben Tejada, SS
- Rafael Montero, rhp
The Mets dropped the opener of the last series of the season last night, and they look to bounce back tonight as they play the Astros in game two. Niese left early and the Mets struggled to push runs across the plate as they lost by a score of 3-1, the lone run coming from a Grandy shot. Tonight they look to get back on it with Montero on the mound and Deduno starting for the ‘stros.
Rafael Montero is 1-3 this season over 9 games and 7 starts posting a 4.38 ERA in 39.0 innings of work. He has had a good month of September so far making a start and an appearance totaling to 6.1 innings, no runs, 4 hits, 5 walks and 8 strikeouts. He has never faced the Astros in his major league career and he has never faced anyone on the Astros’ roster.
The Mets draw Sam Deduno who is 2-6 this season over 96.2 innings with a 4.66 ERA. In four games for the Astros this year, in no starts, he is 0-1 over 4.2 innings with a 5.79 ERA. He has never faced the Mets in a major league game before but he has faced one batter on the Mets roster, Curtis Granderson, who is 0-1 against Deduno.
