213 Miles From Shea

This has been a series to forget for the Mets. After dropping the first three games to the Nationals in a four game set before winning the last one, the Mets have done the same thing in LA so far, by dropping the first three games (or for the pessimist, losing 6 of their last 7). The Mets will look to reverse the situation tonight with Steven Matz.

Matz is 1-1 over 2 starts and 14.0 innings with a 3.21 ERA, 5.27 FIP and a 1.000 WHIP. In his first start against Atlanta, which was great, where he went 7.0 innings allowing 5 hits and a walk with 1 run. Last time out he allowed 4 runs over 7.0 innings to the Nationals thanks to 8 hits. In one start against the Dodgers last year, Matz allowed 6 hits and a walk over 6.0 innings leading to 2 runs. The Dodgers have the following numbers against Matz:

• Hernandez 2-9
• Turner 2-8, 2B, BB
• Puig 0-8
• Seager 0-2, BB
• Pederson 0-2

The Mets bats will get Hyun-Jin Ryu to close out the set. Ryu is 3-6 over 12 games and 11 starts over 62.0 innings with a 4.35 ERA, 4.89 ERA and 1.403 WHIP. After back to back starts to start June off allowing 4 ER, Ryu only allowed 2 runs in his last start but still scattered 8 hits and 2 walks in 5.0 innings of work. The last time he faced the Mets was in 2014 where he allowed 9 hits and 1 walk over 6.0 innings leading to 2 runs. The Mets have the following numbers against Ryu:

• R Rivera 0-7
• Bruce 3-6, 2 HR
• Duda 1-3
• Flores 2-4
• Granderson 1-3
• Reyes 0-3
• deGrom 1-2

Let’s Go Mets!

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Today’s Picture of the Day comes from a Tuesday Night start with Wheeler on the mound taken on 6/13.

Tuesday nights with my Mets family #T7LA2017 #140 #LGM

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Jun 13, 2017 at 4:18pm PDT

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The Mets return to Tyler Pill tonight to make a spot start. The Mets are looking to keep the current rotation pattern in the short term, even with the Matt Harvey injury so it’s time for the Dodgers to take their medicine with Tyler Pill. Tyler Pill is 0-2 over 4 games and 2 starts pitching 12.0 innings allowing 15 hits and 4 walks leading to 7 runs, 5 earned. That is a 3.75 ERA, 3.29 FIP and 1.583 WHIP. This will be Pill’s first start against the Dodgers in his career and he has never faced any member of the Dodgers while they were with other teams. That makes sense because Pill made his major league debut this season.

Rich Hill takes the mound for the Dodgers tonight. He’s 3-3 over 8 games and 35.0 innings with a 5.14 ERA, 5.30 FIP and 1.571 WHIP. After a stretch of good starts where he pitched 14.0 innings over 3 games allowing 4 earned runs, he bombed out in his last start allowing 7 runs over 4.0 innings off 8 hits and 2 walks in Cleveland. He’s pitched against the Mets 4 times in his career including two starts allowing 14 hits and 12 ER in 8.0 innings of work. Hill’s work load in general over the last couple of seasons has been spotty due to injury. The Mets have the following numbers against Hill:

• Reyes 3-6
• Duda 0-0, 2 BB
• Granderson 0-2
• Cespedes 0-1

Let’s Go Mets!

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Here’s a picture of deGrom pitching from the first inning of Father’s Day this past weekend! Enjoy!

Today was made for baseball. #LGM #T7LA2017 #ElliotAndTheMets

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Jun 18, 2017 at 10:33am PDT

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The Mets and Dodgers play the second game of their series tonight at Robert Gsellman takes on Brandon McCarthy. Gsellman is 5-4 over 15 games and 12 starts this season pitching 68.2 innings with a 5.50 ERA, 4.57 FIP and 1.544 WHIP. Robert is looking to get back on the right path tonight. Before his last time out, in his previous three starts he pitched 19.0 innings with a 3-0 record, 1.42 ERA and a .183 opposing batting average. His last time out against the Nationals though he allowed 11 hits and 2 walks over 5.0 innings which led to 7 runs. Robert has never faced the Dodgers before nor has he faced anyone on the Dodgers while they were members of other ball clubs.

The Mets bats will take a crack at Brandon McCarthy tonight who is 5-3 over 11 starts and 63.0 innings with a 3.14 ERA (pi!), 3.19 FIP and 1.095 WHIP. His FIP is the lowest it has been since 2011 when he led the league with the Athletics and is super close to his ERA. His WHIP is the lowest it has ever been in his career (1.281). The last time he faced the Mets was in 2014 where he allowed 3 runs and 7 hits over 5.2 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Brandon:

• Granderson 2-14, 3 BB
• Bruce 2-7
• Reyes 0-6, BB
• Flores 1-3
• R Rivera 0-3

Let’s Go Mets!

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I’m cheating a bit with this picture of the day. First, I posted a still of this picture of the of the day on 5/29/17. Second, it’s a video. Whatever.

Today’s video is one of the many ovations Mike Piazza got during his induction last year. This was taken on 7/24/16.

MIKE PIAZZA. MIKE PIAZZA. #Piazzastock #HOFWeekend

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Jul 24, 2016 at 12:01pm PDT

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The Mets got one from the Nationals last night as they escaped home without being swept. Jacob had a great start for the Mets and tied the game on a homer before the Mets scored some insurance runs. The reward for escaping the sweep? Kershaw. Yay.

The Mets will counter with Zack Wheeler who is coming off of his first rough start in a while. He is 3-4 this season over 12 games and 64.1 innings with a 4.48 ERA, 4.36 FIP and 1.461 WHIP. In his last outing, he allowed 8 runs off 6 hits and 3 walks in 1.2 innings. I was at the game and just wasn’t good. There were a few plays that could have been made behind him that weren’t and then he just got spent out there and lost all movement from his pitches. The Dodgers have the following numbers against him:

• Utley 3-13, HR, BB
• Grandal 2-5, HR
• Wood 0-4

The Mets draw Kershaw who is 9-2 over 14 starts and 97.0 innings with a league leading 2.23 ERA, 3.20 FIP and 0.918 WHIP. His FIP is curiously high, its actually the highest since his rookie year and only the 4th time in his career where its above 3. He has previously led the league in 2014 and 2015 in FIP at 1.81 and 1.99 (last year he had a career low FIP at 1.80). He had two starts against the Mets where he pitched 16.2 innings allowing 2 runs and 7 hits and 1 walk. One of those starts was a complete game shutout. The Mets have the following numbers against Kershaw:

• Granderson 5-23, 2 2B, 2 BB
• Bruce 5-20, 2 HR, BB
• Duda 2-16, 2 BB
• Reyes 3-16, BB
• Cespedes 1-15
• Flores 3-12
• R Rivera 2-8, BB
• d’Arnaud 0-6

Let’s Go Mets!

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Again, two of my favorite things. Citi Field and the sky. Picture taken on 7/5/14.

The weather is perfect to watch the Mets attempt to play baseball

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Jul 5, 2014 at 4:16pm PDT

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The sky and Flushing are two of my favorite things. Here are both of those together from 7/9/14.

Sky over Flushing

A post shared by Elliot Lester (@eteich1100) on Jul 9, 2014 at 5:23pm PDT

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There is a huge difference in being swept in a four game set and losing 3 of the 4. The Mets hope to make it the latter situation today as the close the series with the Nationals. Yesterday Lugo kept the Mets in the game but the bullpen couldn’t completely shut the door behind him making any come back difficult to achieve, despite a monster homer from Cespedes in the 8th.

Jacob deGrom is 5-3 this season over 13 games and 81.0 innings with a 4.33 ERA, 4.05 FIP and 1.395 WHIP. He is coming off his best start of the season where he held the Cubs to 1 run of 5 hits and 4 walks in a complete game effort. Earlier this season he had mixed results against the Nationals in back to back starts allowing 6 runs off 14 hits and 7 walks in 12.2 innings. He also recorded 22 strikeouts in those games. The Nationals have the following numbers against Jacob:

• Harper 8-21, 2 2B, HR, 4 BB
• Rendon 0-13, 4 BB, 5 K
• Zimmerman 5-14, 2 HR, 6 K
• Taylor 0-11, BB
• Turner 3-9, 2B
• Wieters 3-9, HR
• Lind 1-5, BB
• Murphy 3-6

The Mets bats draw Joe Ross who is 3-2 over 8 starts and 43.2 innings with a 6.39 ERA, 4.83 FIP and 1.534 WHIP. June was has been marked with one very good start and two bad starts for Ross. On the 8th he allowed only 1 runs over 7.1 innings. On the 3rd he allowed 7 runs, 6 earned in 3.0 innings and on the 13th he allowed 5 runs over 5.2 innings. In his one start against the Mets this year he allowed 5 runs over 7 hits and one walk in 4.0 innings of work. The Mets have the following numbers against Ross:

• Granderson 3-12
• Flores 3-9
• Cespedes 1-6
• Duda 2-4, 2 HR, BB
• Bruce 3-5, HR
• d’Arnaud 2-5
• Conforto 1-3
• Nimmo 2-3
• Reyes 1-3, 3B
• R Rivera 1-2, HR

Let’s Go Mets!

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