The Mets look to get back in the win column this afternoon as they take on the Nationals at Clover Park! There were two positive take always from yesterday’s game. First, Drew Smith allowed a hit and a walk with no runs in his spring debut – he could very well be the x-factor in the bullpen this year. Second, the third base battle continued to heat up on the Mets. Eduardo Escobar went 1-3 at the plate. Brett Baty had to take it one step farther going 2-3.
Today the Mets welcome back a familiar face to Clover Park as Trevor Williams looks to build on his last scoreless outing. Williams will square off against Max Scherzer who is making his second start of the spring. Last season Scherzer pitched four innings in his spring debut. This year he went two innings, but if he didn’t throw so many pitches in his second inning it’s conceivable that he could have gone three.
Three Things To Watch For:
- Max Scherzer: In Scherzer’s first spring training start he struck out a batter in 27 seconds. He also held onto the ball for 14 seconds waiting until the last possible moment to pitch it to mess with the batter. He’s gone on the record discussing how the pitch clock gives the pitchers an additional advantage. We are excited to see what new games he creates on the pitching mound today!
- Francisco Álvarez: After yesterday’s game Showalter said the plan for today was to give Álvarez time behind the plate for the first time this spring. This is a significant step for Álvarez’s preparation this spring. I am curious to see which pitchers he will catch this afternoon.
- Daniel Vogelbach: So far in spring Vogelbach has been the main beneficiary of the new shift rules in baseball. There was some talk over the weekend during the SNY broadcast that while Vogelbach is going to benefit from the shift, teams may not be showing their hand on they will play Vogelbach during the season. We are so early in spring that I doubt that right now, but it is something to look for as while the Mets play teams that they are both seeing a lot in the spring and the regular season.
Let’s Go Mets!
