I know the ending of Spring Training games shouldn’t matter, but yesterday was a very Mets way to end a game. The Mets loaded the bases to the start the inning and were able to trade an out for a run. Then, the Mets grounded into what should have been a game ending double play, but an errant throw led to the runner being called safe first and the tying run to score except the Mets were called for runner’s interference at 2nd (the correct call) and the game ended just like that.
Mets Lineup:
- Juan Lagares (CF)
- Luis Guillorme (SS)
- Travis d’Arnaud (DH)
- Dominic Smith (DH)
- Devin Mesoraco (C)
- Rymer Liriano (RF)
- Adeiny Hechavarria (3B)
- Dilson Herrera (2B)
- Rajai Davis (LF)
Starting Pitcher – Zack Wheeler
Travis d’Arnaud makes his spring debut today as a DH. Essentially d’Arnaud is in an open competition with Devin Mesoraco for a roster spot. Working against d’Arnaud – will he even be ready by the start of the season? He has to compete with his own health in addition to Mesoraco who makes the ace of the staff feel quite comfortable. The advantage that d’Arnaud has is his bat. When he is healthy, his bat is intriguing, and a more entertaining, albeit riskier, option over Mesoraco.
Other Things To Watch For:
- In Wheeler’s first start of the spring, he allowed 2 unearned runs over one inning. I would expect that he goes between 2-3 innings today.
- Smith went hit-less yesterday so his spring slashline “dropped” to a .417/.533/.417
- Mesoraco – competing with d’Arnaud, has had only 6 PA’s in spring so far. His one hit was a homer, he also grounded into a double play.
- The Mets are really giving Rajai Davis, Gregor Blanco and Rymer Liriano a long look, which is exactly what they should be doing. Rymer has hit .214/.267/.429 over 15 PAs. Davis has hit .400/.455/.900 over 11 PA’s
- Hechavarria has recorded 8 PA’s in spring and has two walks. He’s still searching for his first hit.
Let’s Go Mets!
