Saturday, March 31, 2018 • 1:10 p.m.
Citi Field • Flushing, N.Y.
RHP Michael Wacha (12-9, 4.13 in 2017) vs. RHP Jacob deGrom (15-10, 3.53 in 2017)
SNY • MLBN • WOR 710 AM • 104.3 WAXQ-FM HD 2 • ESPN 1050
Forty-five.
That’s the approximate amount of hours it has been since the Mets have played a ball game by today’s scheduled first pitch. Have you missed them yet?
The Mets started the season off with a strong 9-4 win over the Cardinals that saw Noah Syndergaard record 10 strikeouts, Cespedes knock in three runs, Nimmo and Gonzalez get on base four times and the Mets bullpen toss three perfect innings of relief. Before we move on, that wasn’t a typo about Gonzalez. He got two walks and two hits including a double rivaling the amount of times he was on base all spring.
METS LINEUP
- Asdrúbal Cabrera – 2B
- Yoenis Céspedes – LF
- Jay Bruce – RF
- Todd Frazier – 3B
- Travis d’Arnaud – C
- Adrián González – 1B
- Juan Lagares – CF
- Jacob deGrom – RHP
- Amed Rosario – SS
CARDINALS LINEUP
- Dexter Fowler – RF
- Tommy Pham – CF
- Matt Carpenter – 3B
- Marcell Ozuna – LF
- Jose Martinez – 1B
- Yadier Molina – C
- Paul DeJong – SS
- Kolten Wong – 2B
- Michael Wacha – P
Jacob deGrom will make his 2018 debut today. Last year he went 15-10 over 31 games and 201.1 innings with a 3.53 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 1.187 WHIP and a 119 ERA+. He had two different starts against Cardinals last year. In St. Louis, he allowed four runs from four homers over 7.0 innings of work. About two weeks later, he held the Cardinals to one run over seven hits in 6.2 innings. The Cardinals have the following numbers against him:
- Ozuna 8-for-30, 2 2B, HR, BB, 9 K
- Carpenter 3-for-14, HR
- Fowler 2-for-9, HR, 2 BB
- Molina 3-for-10, 2B
- Gyorko 3-for-9, HR
- Wong 1-for-8
- DeJong 3-for-6, 2B, HR
The Mets bats draw an All-Star for the second straight day and former NLCS MVP Michael Wacha who last year was 12-9 over 30 game sand 165.2 innings with a 4.13 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.358 WHIP and 103 ERA+. Wacha’s best year was 2015 where he posted a 3.38 ERA/3.87 FIP/1.213 WHIP/ 116 ERA+. Last year was a move in the right direction after a dreadful 2016 campaign. One of his best games of the season in 2017 was against the Mets where he held the Mets scoreless over a complete game limiting the Mets to three hits and a walk while striking out eight. The Mets have the following numbers against Wacha:
- Bruce 1-for-28, BB, .069 OBP
- Frazier 6-for-24, 2B, 2 HE, 2 BB
- Gonzalez 2-for-17, 2B, 3 BB
- Reyes 0-for-6
- Cabrera 0-for-3
- Cespedes 1-for-4
- Flores 0-for-5
- Lagares 1-for-3
- d’Arnaud 1-for-1, BB
NOTES
Mets Hall of Famer Rusty Staub passed away on Thursday. Beginning today and throughout the entire 2018 campaign, the Mets will wear a patch on the right sleeve on their home and away uniforms honoring Staub. The patch features his autograph in orange.
The Mets improved to 37-20 (.649) on Opening Day and have the best winning percentage on Opening Day in major league history with Thursday’s 9 4 win. The Mets have won 37 of their last 49 Opening Day games and 10 of their last 13 openers. New York has won six straight Opening Day matchups with the Cardinals dating to 1985. The Mets are 22-3 in their last 25 season openers at home.
Mickey Callaway won his managerial debut. He was the first Mets manager to emerge victorious from his first game at the helm in New York since Jeff Torborg in 1992.
Callaway, 42, is the youngest former major league pitcher at the time of his debut as a manager since 1952, when 32-year old Fred Hutchinson was named player-manager of the Tigers. Only two other Mets managers were age 42 or younger on Opening Day: Joe Torre (37 in 1978, after taking over mid-season the previous year) and Davey Johnson (41 in 1984).
Jacob deGrom is 17-8 with a 1.99 ERA (55 earned runs/248.1 innings) in 38 career daytime starts. The 1.99 ERA is the lowest by any player in the daytime since 1913 (min. 200 innings).
Let’s Go Mets!
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