Game of the Week: May 3: NYM @ STL

[Zigmo-Whitesox]

New York Mets (15-12) @ St. Louis Cardinals (21-7)


NYM: Eric Pena (5-0, 1.34)

STL:  Adam McGurk (3-0, 0.00)


The Cardinals are flying high coming into the game having recorded series wins in every contest to this point.  Many of these wins have came against teams that going into the season were not expected to be playoff caliber teams.  The series that really stand out here was a 3-0 romp against the division rival Brewers and two series against Philadelphia where they managed to win six of seven.  Time will tell how big of series wins the Reds and Nationals games were however with opponents just recording a .459 winning percentage this season it can be said that the cards should expect to face some stiffer competition as the season goes on.  They get a great shot today against the Mets and the Cardinals have done all you can ask them to do at this point in the season with the 21 victories.  Statistically the Cardinals have zero weaknesses as a team coming in ranked third in runs, second in ERA, they hit for power(8th in HRs), and for average(8th) oh and defense they got that too(9th in efficiency).  Although the ZR is less than ideal at -2.1 as a team, looking at you Matt Sanchez -1.3 ZR.  If the Mets are to win this one Joe Mills must be contained he's on pace for 11.3 WAR, 69 bombs, 150 RBI and 139 runs.  This author believes if you want to have any decent shot at being able to beat these Cardinals you better have a few lefties as switch hitting Mills and Mitchell aside most anyone on this cardinals roster who can hurt you is a lefty hitter.


The Mets have had a schedule that is very similar to the Cardinals in quality of opponents and there is a lot of crossover in the opponents themselves.  The Mets have two nice series wins vs the Phils and also managed to defeat the Cubs two games to one.  Oddly for them despite their star studded rotation it has been the offense that has carried them in the early part of this season.  While not setting any offensive records the Mets come in ranked 11th in runs with arguably room to grow there with DH Denny Marchwinski hitting a abysmal .183.  Luckily the power has still been there for the DH with 7 bombs and a 42 HR 120 RBI pace.  The Mets focused heavily in the offseason on revamping their lineup with the aforementioned Marchwinski coming from LA, Chris Paramore from Arizona, Andy Fleck and Jim Sattler from Minnesota, Joe Swetz, David Fleet, Mike Bishop from the Whitesox, And Juan Moreno from Baltimore.  The pitching has been a disaster thusfar this season however.  The starters have been decent, especially todays starter Eric Pena.  The reigning cy young winner Jeff Morrison and promising righty Mario Jimenez have also been quite good.  It's the bullpen that has been an absolute disaster.  Two arms in the Mets bullpen have managed an ERA below 6.75.  This includes closer Luis Ortiz obtained in a trade from Baltimore who sports a 7.07 ERA.  They should be able to maintain or improve this offensive production and the pitching has to improve.  The outlook looks good for this Mets squad but the Cardinals are going to give them everything they can handle today for sure. 


Potentially interesting side note the Phillies have only played six games against teams not named Braves, Mets, or Cardinals.  That's 23 games against 3 teams and 6 vs rest of the league.

Hot/Cold of note: STL: Andy Stewart, Joe Mills, and Alan Mitchell are all riding hot streaks(yikes).  NYM: Andy Fleck has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games including 7 multi hit games.


Questions for the GMs:


For Tim Lentz, Now that the garbage human Chad Liby is gone who is someone you expect to really take a step forward in production that maybe hasn't had the best start?  (Joe Ferland doesn't count lol)

When Analyzing this matchup what is the key to victory?  Chasing Pena seems an obvious one here but what other things would you look for?  Limit Marchwinski?  Bottom of your lineup getting on base?  ETC.

Are you worried about Witters slow start?


For Ryan Morneau, The bullpen has really struggled is it just a story of small sample size?

Your team is hitting for a lot more power this year compared to last. How much of a point of emphasis was it for you to get more pop in your lineup?

Which of your newly acquired players are you most pleased with and which are you most disappointed with sofar this season?

[mrlucky12]

The bullpen has really struggled is it just a story of small sample size?

I'm very dissapointed so far with my bullpen but i'm hoping it turns itself around.

Your team is hitting for a lot more power this year compared to last. How much of a point of emphasis was it for you to get more pop in your lineup?

My teams offensive game had to improve after last seasons poor outing in the playoffs I knew it had to change so I made it my goal heading into the offseason to remake the offensive game.

Which of your newly acquired players are you most pleased with and which are you most disappointed with sofar this season?

The player who has impressed me the most so far this season is Andy Fleck and so far i'm very dissapointed in Andres Perez and Darwinzon Hernandez both of who are part of my bullpen issues.

[stlgm]

For Tim Lentz, Now that the garbage human Chad Liby is gone who is someone you expect to really take a step forward in production that maybe hasn't had the best start? (Joe Ferland doesn't count lol)


-Watch out for Pablo Santana. He has had a rough start to this season, but we expect big things out of him yet. In 2029, he took a leap of faith and left PBA for the Meridian League for two seasons and was dominant over there. He came back to the the USA in 2031, no teams wanted to give him a serious look, so he spent two seasons with our AAA team and was very impressive there. Santana is a hard thrower with electric stuff and four pitches at his disposal, we think he has the talent to be a sub-4 ERA arm for us.


When Analyzing this matchup what is the key to victory? Chasing Pena seems an obvious one here but what other things would you look for? Limit Marchwinski? Bottom of your lineup getting on base? ETC.

-Biggest key for us is going to be generating runs. I think if we make contact, we can do some damage against Pena. He's struggled with the long ball in the past. But much easier said than done. I am confident that my pitching staff can keep their lineup in check.




Are you worried about Witters slow start?

-After two consecutive strong seasons, Witter has earned some leeway with us, but we are getting concerned. It seems like pitchers are pitching around him more, which has led to an increase in walks, but also an increase of him making bad contact. We're not expecting a .300 average out of him, or even .270...but his power is what makes him an asset to this team. We'll need to see that come to life in May to justify his roster spot.

[Zigmo-Whitesox]

Cardinals 3 - Mets 1


WP: R. Owusu (2-0)

LP: E. Pena (5-1)

The St. Louis Cardinals faced a tough opponent in New York pitcher Eric Pena, but did just enough to pull out the victory at Cardinal's Nest by a final score of 3-1. Pena went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs. Raheem Owusu, now 2-0, was credited with the win. He allowed no runs on 1 hit, while striking out 1 and walking 2. Pablo Santana recorded the save for St. Louis, his 1st of the season.

The Cardinals had to work out of trouble in the top of the ninth. The score was 3-1, St. Louis, with one out. New York, with a runner on 2nd, was mounting a threat. Juan Moreno dug in at the plate, but on a 1-2 slider, he struck out.


Questions for the GMs:

For Tim Lentz, pretty prophetic in pointing out Pablo Santana as a breakout candidate he certainly did not disappoint tonight.  The same can be said about your comment about keeping their lineup in check.  What gave you the confidence your pitchers would perform at a high level?

We highlighted Joe Mills and his fantastic start and he did not disappoint in this game going 2-4 with an RBI.  It feels like he could easily be an MVP candidate if he could just stay healthy.  With Nonie in your back pocket have you considered giving mills a few extra days off now and then or is the all-in best lineup approach in a tough division the way to go?  Or do the extra rest days do any good in your opinion?

Nate Krout is dominating in AAA will we see the #50 prospect soon?


For Ryan Morneau, Eric Pena was dominant once again are you surprised he has done this well?

The lineup struggled to generate runs today, do you think getting Sattler and Albies back could help spark the team?

Mike Bishop has really played well and this game was no exception accounting for the lone run today.  Will you look to get him more playing time as the season goes along?

[stlgm]

For Tim Lentz, pretty prophetic in pointing out Pablo Santana as a breakout candidate he certainly did not disappoint tonight. The same can be said about your comment about keeping their lineup in check. What gave you the confidence your pitchers would perform at a high level?

-It was a combination of things. One, we're very confident in this group of pitchers. They each fill a very important role and perform that role so well. When healthy they're one of the best units in the league. Two, the Mets lineup is solid, but not spectacular. They'll get you for a home run here and there. But overall, we told our group if they trusted their stuff, we'd give them fits...and it turned out to be true.


We highlighted Joe Mills and his fantastic start and he did not disappoint in this game going 2-4 with an RBI. It feels like he could easily be an MVP candidate if he could just stay healthy. With Nonie in your back pocket have you considered giving mills a few extra days off now and then or is the all-in best lineup approach in a tough division the way to go? Or do the extra rest days do any good in your opinion?

-Mills is such a phenomenal talent. If he can put together a full season, we truly believe he could win an MVP award. As for giving him some extra days off, we're not really considering it right now. We have a division to win and home field to capture. But as the season progresses, if we start to separate ourselves from the rest of the league, it's definitely something we would consider. Nonie is great to have in the back pocket.


Nate Krout is dominating in AAA will we see the #50 prospect soon?

-Honestly, no plans right now. Krout is off to a great start in Memphis, but coaches are still working on his mechanics to get his control...under control. The plan was a full season in Triple A and nothing has changed there as of now. Of course, a few injuries and/or Krout learning to hit his spots could change that.