I love watching Dillon Gee pitch.  Similarly, I am a fan of Jon Niese.

Although the Mets have been under .500 every season Gee has pitched in the majors, Gee himself has a won-loss record that is six games over .500 and he has never been more than one game under the break-even mark over a full season.  Jonathon Niese, on the other hand, is one of the few Mets left on the team who played at Shea Stadium (David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Bobby Parnell are the others, although Murphy and Parnell may not be on this list much longer).  Niese is also the team’s only southpaw on a staff filled with right-handed pitchers.

As much as I enjoy having Gee and Niese on the team, I understand that the starting rotation currently has Bartolo Colon, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Jacob deGrom taking up four spots, with Noah Syndergaard waiting in the wings.  Assuming Colon is traded at some point during the 2015 season (if not sooner), Syndergaard would be the obvious choice to replace him in the rotation.  That would leave one of the members of the Gee-Niese duo out of luck and perhaps out of a job in New York.

Knowing full well that either Gee or Niese will not be a Met by this time next year, I decided to see which player the Mets would be better off keeping.  One or both pitchers might be traded if the right deal comes along, but I think one of the two would be better off staying in the Mets’ starting rotation.  Here’s my reasoning for the player I would like to stick around.

Although he has a 3.91 ERA for his career, Dillon Gee has had only one full season in the majors in which he posted an ERA under 4.00.  Advanced metrics also have his lifetime FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) at 4.23.  For all you kids out there, FIP measures how effective a pitcher is at limiting home runs, walks and hit batsmen while causing strikeouts.  Basically, those are the four categories in which fielders do not determine an outcome.  Therefore, Gee’s 4.23 FIP is considered a little higher than what is expected from an average pitcher.

Jonathon Niese has a 3.87 career ERA, but has posted a sub-4.00 ERA in each of his last three seasons, going under 3.50 in two of the last three campaigns.  But on the FIP side, Niese has a lifetime 3.72 FIP and has posted a FIP under 4.00 in each of his last four seasons.  Niese has walked more batters than Gee, but has hit fewer batters and allowed fewer home runs per nine innings than Gee.  And when it comes to strikeouts, Niese is far superior to Gee, as Niese has surpassed 130 strikeouts in a season four times, while Gee has done it just once.

Speaking of strikeouts, although Niese is just 28 years old (he’s actually six months younger than Dillon Gee), he’s already in the Mets’ all-time top ten in career strikeouts.  Niese’s 713 Ks are tenth on the team’s lifetime leaderboard and he is just one strikeout behind Bobby Jones for ninth place.  Once he passes Jones, the only pitchers in front of him will be Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, Jerry Koosman, Sid Fernandez, David Cone, Ron Darling, Al Leiter and Jon Matlack.  You may also know that octet as arguably the eight best pitchers in the history of the franchise.   Niese’s strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.69; 713 K/265 BB) is also far better than Gee’s ratio (2.26; 464 K/205 BB).

Let’s look at another new metric to determine a pitcher’s effectiveness – ERA+.  This metric compares a pitcher’s earned run average to the league average and also accounts for park factors, with 100 being considered an average ERA+.  For example, Citi Field is generally considered a pitcher’s park.  However, Dillon Gee has never posted an ERA+ of 100 in any of his four full seasons.  From 2011 to 2014, Gee has posted a 90 ERA+, with a career-best 98 ERA+ in 2013, which is still 2% worse than the average pitcher.  Meanwhile, Jonathon Niese has a 97 ERA+ since he became a regular in the rotation in 2010.  But since 2012, Niese has a 104 ERA+, making him 4% better than the average pitcher over the last three seasons.  Niese’s career-best performance in this metric came in 2012, when he posted a 112 ERA+.

WAR (wins above replacement) is all the rage in this sabermetric era of baseball.  The higher the WAR, the better the player.  It’s that simple.  Looking at the WAR posted by Gee and Niese since 2011 (the year both pitchers were rotation-mates for the first time), it’s clear which pitcher has been more valuable to the team.  Gee has a 4.5 WAR since 2011, going above 1.0 just once in the four years (2013, when he posted a 2.2 WAR).  In the same time period, Niese has a 6.2 WAR, posting a 3.4 WAR in 2012 and a 1.7 WAR this past season.

WAR. What is it good for?  For Niese, it might be good for keeping him in NY.

Finally, let’s look at one overlooked, but still important, part of the pitcher’s game – his offense.  When a pitcher comes to bat, he’s not expected to do much.  If there’s a runner on base, he’s expected to bunt him over.  If there’s no one on base, the best a pitcher is expected to do is not get hurt swinging the bat and maybe make the opposing pitcher throw a few extra pitches.  When it comes to proficiency with the bat, there’s no contest between Gee and Niese.

Since becoming a regular in the rotation in 2011, Dillon Gee has a .154 on-base percentage, reaching base 27 times (18 hits, nine walks) in 206 plate appearances.  Meanwhile, since Niese joined the rotation for good in 2010, he has reached base an incredible 66 times (38 hits, 28 walks) in 304 plate appearances, which is a .237 on-base percentage.  Of all pitchers with at least 200 plate appearances since 2010, only Zack Greinke (.274 OBP in 245 PA) and Mike Leake (.261 OBP in 338 PA) have a higher on-base percentage than Jonathon Niese and only Ian Kennedy has drawn more walks (32 BB in 342 PA) than Niese.  Kennedy and Niese are the only pitchers who have walked more than 20 times since 2010.

So let’s review.  Jonathon Niese has a better ERA, ERA+, FIP and WAR than Dillon Gee.  Niese is also much more adept at recording strikeouts than Gee and has a better K/BB ratio.  And while Gee is almost an automatic out with the bat, Niese gives the Mets a ninth hitter in the lineup, reaching base just under a quarter of the time.  Niese isn’t going to break into a home run trot any time soon, but he has proven to be one of the better handlers of the bat among National League pitchers.

Dillon Gee will blow out 29 candles during the first month of the 2015 campaign.  Jonathon Niese will be 28 all season.  Niese has more experience than Gee, having pitched at Shea Stadium.  Niese is also left-handed, something no other starting pitcher on the Mets can claim.  Although Gee is still arbitration eligible and will likely not command more than $5 million in 2015, Niese is due $7 million in 2015 and $9 million in 2016, hardly amounts that would break the Wilpon family piggy bank.

If the Mets are going to trade one of their veteran homegrown pitchers before the curtains rise on the 2015 season, it should be clear which one should go.  Although I’ve always enjoyed watching him pitch and still believe he can be successful in New York, Dillon Gee will probably be the victim of an overcrowded starting rotation.  Jonathon Niese, despite all the question marks surrounding his health, has still made at least 24 starts in each of his five full seasons in the majors.  Gee has surpassed 22 starts just twice in his four full seasons with the Mets.  Also, Niese may not always utter the most politically correct statements, especially when it comes to Mets fans’ loyalty, but you can’t say he was pulling things out of his posterior.  If the Mets are going to draw the crowds Niese was used to seeing when he was a neophyte, then the team has to play better.  And right now, I believe the team will perform better with Niese on the team instead of Gee.

Of course, trading Gee or Niese will depend on the package the Mets would receive in return, but if each package was similar and the Mets had an option of trading either player, then that player should be Gee.  The future of the team would look a lot brighter if it held on to Niese.

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Travis d’Arnaud may have had his coming-out party for the Mets on Friday night, when he drove a two-run double into the gap to snap an eighth-inning tie that led to a 6-5 4th of July victory over the Rangers.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Mets and showcased what has been a much more confident d’Arnaud at the plate.

“It felt really good,” d’Arnaud said after the game. “It’s a big win for us to start the homestand.”

The top ranked catching prospect heading into this season, credits a back-to-basics approach for his turnaround and clearing his head of all the noise and advice he’s been collecting since his joining the big-league team.

“Just keep things simple. Not overthink my mechanics or overthink anything, have one thought in my head at the plate and that’s it.”

D’Arnaud has now hit in eight of nine games since being recalled from Triple-A, batting .319 (10-for-33) with three doubles, one home run and six RBIs during that span.

“He’s a very confident kid,” said Collins of d’Arnaud. “I know that he’s been swinging pretty good. Tonight he had his chance to help us big time, and he did.”

With Kevin Plawecki coming on strong in the minors, the Mets may ultimately decide to flip one of them to fill another area of need, perhaps the shortstop position.

After last night’s blockbuster trade, the Chicago Cubs are now stacked with several high-upside shortstops, and they may be the perfect partner for a deal that could land the Mets Starlin Castro – who is as talented as they come but has sometimes rubbed the Cubs the wrong way.

Castro is batting .290 and leads all major league shortstops with 26 doubles. He has 11 home runs this season and his 50 RBIs rank second among all shortstops. in 335 at-bats he’s boasting an .807 OPS which ranks third among major league shortstops.

A two-time All Star already, the 24-year old is at the top of the food chain among shortstops who may be available this month. But a talent like that will be prized by many teams and not just the Mets, and he won’t come cheap. His contract calls for a very team friendly $48 million over 6 years with a club option for 2020.

However they dice to do it, the Mets need to find a way to add an impact bat to their lineup which is laden with far too many Quad-A type talents, waiver wire pickups, and reclamation projects. Players like Castro are not often made available by most teams – who usually lock players like this up.

This is certainly something to keep an eye on in the next few weeks.

The post With d’Arnaud Heating Up and Plawecki Almost Ready, Will Mets Make A Play For Starlin Castro? appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets plan to start Jonathon Niese on Opening Day against the Washington Nationals on March 31 at Citi Field, then have Bartolo Colon start Game 2 of the season and Dillon Gee start Game 3, team insiders told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

Rubin says that would push Zack Wheeler and the fifth starter to the second series of the season, against the Cincinnati Reds, also in Queens.

The sources noted the decision is subject to change if there is an “injury or weather complication,” but “that is the current plan.”

So much for the Opening Day starter competition… 🙂

I wonder what other competitions have already been decided?

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Rafael Montero will throw the first pitch of the Mets’ Grapefruit League schedule, on Friday at 1:10 p.m. against the Washington Nationals at Tradition Field.

Montero, 23, went a combined 12-7 with a 2.78 ERA in 27 starts between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas last season.

This amazing control artist allowed 136 hits and walked 35 while striking out 150 in 155 1/3 innings.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York posted the upcoming starting-pitching schedule as follows:

• February 28 vs. Nationals: Rafael Montero
• March 1 vs. Marlins: John Lannan
• March 2 at Cardinals: Daisuke Matsuzaka
• March 3 at Braves: Noah Syndergaard
• March 4 vs. Astros: Jonathon Niese

I am freaking pumped!

By the way, we are at Port St. Lucie. We don’t really do photos and videos, but we have been compiling about a dozen player interviews so far that we plan to post beginning tomorrow. Some great stuff coming up over the next few weeks.

Lets Go Mets!

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The buzz regarding highly touted pitching prospect Rafael Montero making his major league debut this season continues to build.

Several prognosticators have ticketed the Mets to finish with a similar record from last year (74-88) as they continue their rebuilding project and wait for the return of Matt Harvey from Tommy John surgery. On the other hand, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York devised a scenario in which the Mets flip their record to 88-74. One of the key points in his “ambitious outlook” is a contribution from Montero at the big-league level.

Montero, who earned his first taste of Double-A and Triple-A last season, has been rumored to be a candidate for the last spot in the starting rotation on Opening Day or could be a mid-season addition. His name has also surfaced as part of the mix for the bullpen, though, that seems unlikely after he finished 12-7 with a 2.78 and 1.10 WHIP in 27 starts between Binghamton and Las Vegas last year.

According to Rubin, if Montero “pitches 150 really good innings in the major leagues” he could possibly eclipse double-digits in wins with an ERA around 3.00 — marks that could make him a Rookie of the Year candidate. The Dominican native would likely face an innings limit, as he has compiled more 150 innings only once in his career (he threw 155 1/3 innings last season).

Viewed as the Mets’ second-best pitching prospect behind only Noah Syndergaard by MetsMerizedOnline.com, the crafty right-hander also owns a 4.87 K/BB rate for his career and has surrendered just 16 homers in 64 total appearances in the minors (59 starts). His rising potential has made him a valuable commodity in the organization’s restocked farm system, an area that was evident in the offseason when general manager Sandy Alderson reportedly balked at trade offers that included the 23-year-old.

The Mets are expected to have several players vying for the No. 5 spot in spring training, including Daisuke Matsuzaka, John Lannan and Jenrry Mejia. The remainder of the rotation is occupied by Bartolo Colon, Zack Wheeler, Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee.

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Adam Rubin writes on ESPNNewYork.com that Jon Niese may get another Opening Day nod from Terry Collins to start the 2014 season. The Mets open the season on March 31 against the Washington Nationals.

On Opening Day 2013, Niese pitched a gem and earned a win in the Mets 11-2 laugher. The veteran southpaw finished the season at 8-8, a 3.71 ERA, 48 walks, and 105 strikeouts in the 24 games that he started. 

Rubin shares that Collins is leaning toward Niese and he considers him as the ace of the staff. As an alternative to Niese, Collins mentions that he may turn to Dillion Gee.

Giving Niese the Opening Day nod would be a vote of confidence to the 27 year old lefty, especially after he struggled in the early months of last season and then landed on the disabled list with a partial tear of his left rotator cuff.  After a stint on the DL, he returned in August and pitched well the rest of the season, posting a 5-2 record, and a 3.00 ERA.

Mets fans hope that Niese can regain his 2012 form when he won a career high 13 games. With Matt Harvey out for most, if not all of 2014, Niese can be the Ace that TC needs to anchor the rotation.  A great start to the 2014 season for Niese can really propel the rest of the staff to follow suit. Even with the questions the Mets have as to who will actually make up the starting rotation, its nice to know that they still have Niese poised to make a big impact on the season. LGM!

The post Niese Could Get Opening Day Nod appeared first on Metsmerized.

With our injured ace Matt Harvey on the sidelines for imaginably all of 2014 (although Harvey eyes a September return), there is still an argument to be made as to who should be the Mets Opening Day starter.

The hurlers that have a shot at standing on the mound on March 31st, 2014 (Mets Opening Day) are Jonathon Niese, Bartolo Colon, and Dillon Gee. With an honorable mention for sophomore Zack Wheeler, who needs to get some more MLB experience in him and also work on his control issues. If all goes well this season for Wheeler, he might be in the Opening Day starter debate come 2015.

So here we go…

The Contenders

Jonathon Niese: The Mets southpaw was the Opening Day pitcher for the Mets in 2013. Niese had a mediocre season last year, as he struggled a bit at the beginning of the season, posting a 4.32 ERA during the first half. He was injured for about a month of the season, when he partially tore his left rotator cuff in late June. But after his return from the DL Niese definitely settled in, as his second half ERA was at a much palatable 3.00. Niese has proven that he is a competitive pitcher who can battle on a mound and help the Mets win some games. He definitely has the credentials to be the first pitcher to touch the rubber at Citi Field this year. If the Mets hadn’t signed Colon, Niese probably would have been the odds on favorite.

Dillon Gee: Dillon Gee needs a strong case to win over Collins, but he has also shown that he has talent. You may remember at the beginning of last season, Gee had his struggles. It was to the point where Terry Collins, the Mets manager, said during a post-game that it was either Dillon Gee or Jeremy Hefner that was going to be sent to the minors. You may also remember that after this statement by Collins, both Gee and Hefner showed vast improvement. Dillon’s ERA through the first two months of the season was a staggering (not in a good way) 6.34. The game against the Yankees was the start of his turnaround. Against the Yankees, Gee went 7.1 innings, allowing just one run on four hits. Dillon’s ERA in the last 4 months of the season was around 2.75. Like Niese, Gee has shown he can be a big time competitor when he’s on the mound. He is without a doubt the underdog in the competition, but he sure has a valid argument for the nod.

Bartolo Colon: The newest addition to the rotation, Bartolo Colon, is likely the favorite to start for the Mets on Opening. Colon has has roughly twice as many years of service than Jon Niese and Dillon Gee combined and is Sandy Alderson’s top pitching acquisition this Winter. Colon has had an extremely successful career with with an outstanding 189-128 won-loss and finished in the top 10 in the Cy Young Award voting four times, while winning once. The only thing stopping Colon from being the Opening Day starter would be a complete meltdown in Spring Training or an overpowering performance by one Niese or Gee. Colon is getting a bit long in the tooth, but last year at the age of 40, he went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA, and finished 6th in the Cy Young voting. He is hands down the number one candidate for the job right now, but anything can happen between now and March 31st, so stay tuned.

“Spring training is what makes or breaks a team.”  ~  Rickey Henderson

The post Previewing Mets Opening Day Starter Candidates appeared first on Metsmerized.

Let’s start off by saying this: if Bartolo Colon is pitching a meaningful game for the Mets next September, we will all sign on the dotted line for that. To get to that point, however, it will require a lot of things to go the Mets’ way. Including a performance by Colon that matches what another aging pitcher once gave them in the mid-2000s, Tom Glavine.

Tom Glavine was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame this week, and Mets fans weren’t exactly the loudest to rejoice. We all remember how he tortured the Mets as an Atlanta Brave, and perhaps more cruelly, how he crumbled in September 2007, his seven earned run performance against Florida on the last day of the season the most hurtful of all.

What is forgotten however, is how Tom Glavine came to the Mets as a 37-year-old pitcher, but was able to pitch five seasons of nearly 200 inning baseball, making him a big part of the success they did enjoy during that period. To put his contributions in perspective, only nine times has a Met pitcher pitched at least 180 innings at the age of 37 or older. Glavine represents five of those occurrences. A veteran pitcher, who can consume innings like that, is a rare commodity. Sandy Alderson is hopeful he found one in Bartolo Colon.

Since quality starts are often frowned upon as an effective measure of an actual quality start, there is a statistic devised by Bill James that goes a little deeper in scoring game starts. James gives added value for pitchers who pitch late into games, rewards strikeouts, and punishes walks. Game Score also accounts for hits and runs. An average Game Score is usually around 49 or 50.

Between 2003-2007, during Glavine’s tenure with the Mets, he pitched to a Game Score above 50 eighty-six times. Tom Glavine is most remembered for his terrible starts to close the 2007 season. What is forgotten is was how more than any other pitcher he provided quality starts, night-in and night-out.

Can Bartolo Colon provide the same consistency to the Mets at the age of 40?  Below is the number of times he pitched to a Game Score above 50 over the past three seasons (at ages 38, 39, and 40) compared to the Mets best pitchers during the same seasons 2011-2013.

The point is that without Glavine’s contributions throughout the season, the Mets would have never been in the competitive position they found themselves in during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The same will be asked upon Bartolo Colon, especially with a young pitching staff in desperate need of leadership and innings. Mets fans should hope that Colon can be as good as Glavine was here.

Note: We welcome Jeffrey to the MMO team. Congratulations on your debut  post!

The post Why Mets Fans Should Hope Colon Is As Good As Glavine appeared first on Metsmerized.

He’s a baseball alchemist with a potent mix of pitches proven to flummox even the most accomplished batters in Double-A’s Eastern League. With 12 wins, Binghamton starting pitcher Logan Verrett shares the top of the league in this category with two other pitchers. Yet, watching Verrett capably mix four different pitchers over five innings of work on Sunday, I couldn’t help but wonder if Verrett profile as a future relief pitcher for the Mets given the depth of young arms in the minor league system.

Verrett throws a fastball, slider, curve ball and change. The 23-year old right-hander flashes pinpoint command of his fastball. Sunday Verrett used 36 fastballs, throwing 14 of 15 during his first three innings in the strike zone and finishing at 27 of 36. Impressive. Take a look at Verrett’s fastball speeds in the five inning outing.

Of Verrett’s 15 fastballs over his first three innings, all but one reached 90 miles per hour or higher. All six of his fastballs reaching 92 mph or higher were thrown during these innings. Clearly, a majority of Verrett’s fastballs over five innings came in at between 89 through 91 miles per hour. Could those fastball speeds trend upward averaging perhaps in the 91 through 94 mph range if Verrett was used for one or two innings at a time working out of the bullpen? Would an increase in speed really matter?

Adding to the potential of ramping up the fastball velocity is the fact Verrett is only 23- years old. Although he stands 6’2, he weights just 180 pounds. As he continues to mature and gets stronger, it’s reasonable to predict the Met prospect could find a natural uptick in his pitching speed.

The speed of pitches is important, but, so too, is a pitchers mix and their confidence in throwing a variety of pitchers. Verrett’s has a four pitch mix with growing assuredness using his off-speed stuff. Sunday he threw 36 fastballs and 31 off-speed pitches.

Here’s a summary of Verrett’s off-speed selections on Sunday.

The B-Met ace faced 18 batters, throwing first pitch fastballs to 11 and an off-speed selection to seven (1 slider, 3 curves, 3 changes). Four times, Verrett went to three-ball counts, throwing a 3-2 slider and choosing his fastball on three, 3-1 counts. Verrett’s slider is a go-to pitch, but it’s the righthander’s change-up that fascinates me.

Try as I might, I can never pick-up the change. There is simply no difference in the pitching motion Verrett uses throwing his fastball and his change. As he has each time I’ve seen him pitch, Verrett selects more and more change-ups the deeper he pitches in a contest. Would a four pitch menu with Verrett having good command of every pitch choice be an asset coming out of the pen?

The final asset is Verrett’s command. Navigating sticky situations is the life line of an effective relief specialist. That chore is difficult at best and near impossible when pitchers add to the challenge by surrendering base-on-balls. That has not been a part of the B-Met mid-season Eastern League all-star’s pitching profile as a starter this year.

Over 146 innings, Verrett has struck out 132 batters and only walked 31. Sunday Verrett threw 14 of 18 first pitch strikes. The B-Met ace was ahead after the first 3 pitches of the count 11 of 14 times. That kind of command, the ability to get ahead of batters in the count, makes Verrett’s use of multiple pitches more effective. Ahead in the count he can change speeds and locations and use his pitching intelligence to out with opposing batters. Would this factor in even more during
pressure situations with a game on the line in the final innings?

One issue Verrett has faced this year in the home run ball. Verrett surrendered a two-run blast on Sunday his 21st gopher ball of the season. That averages about one home run every seven innings. Start or relieve, that’s one part of the game I’m certain the young B-Met pitcher intends to improve.

With all their young pitching guns looking forward, the Mets have many tough decisions to make. Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee, Jenrry Mejia, Noah Snydergaard, and Rafael Montero might mean guys like Logan Verrett are expendable. Not so fast. Before any move is made, the assets Verrett brings to the mound should be weighed carefully as a potential part of the Met starting rotation and as a relief pitcher coming out of the New York bullpen.

(photo credit: Gordon Donovan)

The post Mets Minors: Could Logan Verrett Profile as a Reliever in the Majors? appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mets at Nationals • 8:05 PM

LHP Jon Niese (6-6, 3.69) vs. RHP Ross Ohlendorf (3-0, 2.49)

Starting Lineup

1. Eric Young Jr., LF
2. Daniel Murphy, 2B
3. Josh Satin, 3B
4. Lucas Duda, 1B
5. Travis d’Arnaud, C
6. Juan Lagares, RF
7. Matt den Dekker, CF
8. Omar Quintanilla, SS
9. Jonathon Niese, P

Terry Collins mentioned that Flores is going to be back in the lineup on Monday. He has been dealing with his ankle injury and apparently altered his swing — but Adam Rubin notes the fatigue factor could be setting in as well. Duda replaces Davis in the line-up, who’s pretty much done for the year with an oblique injury. This is Niese’s first start against Washington this season.

Game Preview

Tonight in front of a national audience the Mets will be going for a series sweep of the Washington Nationals. Last night the Mets were firing on all cylinders dropping in the base hits and getting out of trouble with pitching thus leading to a 11-3 win. Jon Niese will take the mound tonight as he squares up against Ross Ohlendorf.

Jon Niese is 6-6 over 18 games this season pitching 105.0 innings with a 3.69 ERA. He has pitched 22.0 innings in his last three starts with a 0.82 ERA (just 2 earned runs) and 23 strikeouts. The numbers right now are being juked by a complete game shutout he threw in his last outing. Surprisingly, he has not faced the Nationals at all this season and last year allowed 1 ER over 14.1 innings against them. The Nationals have the following numbers against Niese:

Werth 4-17
LaRoche 4-15, 2B, 2 HR
Zimmerman 5-14, 2B
Desmond 2-14, 2 2B
Hairston 1-5

The Mets bats will get another look at Ross Ohlendorf today, the pitcher with the delivery straight out of the early 1900’s. Ohlendorf is 3-0 over 12 games and 4 starts this year with a 2.49 ERA and 43.1 innings of work. Since being back on the major league roster, he has made two starts. In his first he allowed 4 ER over 4.1 innings. In his second, he allowed 1 ER over 5.0 innings. Against the Mets this year he allowed 1 earned run over 2.0 innings and then 1 earned run over 7.0 innings with 8 strikeouts. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Murphy 4-7
Lagares 2-5, 2B
Satin 2-4, 2 2B
Young 1-3, 3B
Brown 0-3

Lets Go Mets!

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