Game of the Week: May 27: NYM @ LAD

[Commissioner Erick]

New York Mets (31-22) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (32-21)


NYM: Jorge Ramirez (5-4, 3.26)
LAD: Eduardo Rodriguez (4-5, 6.18)


Mets 3 Key Stats:

3.81: New York’s starting pitching ERA: New York has the second best starters ERA in the NL, a prime reason they’re 31-22. Their pitcher with the second best ERA on the team Jorge Ramirez, is going tonight. An all-star last year, Ramirez keeps the ball down and has good control. This is a key reason why he’s been successful as he has more than a homer allowed per nine innings, and only has 43 strikeouts in 69 innings. Acquired in the Liam Thomas trade, Ramirez has been part of a success haul.

6: Wins against non-division opponents in 21 games: The Mets have a .285 winning percentage when playing outside their division—not quite Angels and Marlins bad, but pretty close. The Mets have split six games with the Phillies and gone 22-4 against the three back markers of the division. As a result, there’s skepticism that what the Mets are doing is real. A win today would go a long way to changing the skeptics minds.

2: Starts by Luis Ceja the last two years: A top prospect with the Dodgers, it was expected Rebel Ceja would surely become an ace. He never developed his straight changeup or curveball and is now a homer prone reliever. He’s had decent surface level success as he has a 3.03 era this season, but he’s allowed five homers in 29.2 innings and is benefiting from a .224 BABIP. It has to be a disappointing outcome for the Mets who sent off Matt Cleveland expecting to get a star in return.


Dodgers 3 Key Stats

10.2: Jeren Kendall’s Zone Rating: Kendall was having another special defensive season, but will now miss over a month with a shoulder injury. The Dodgers have good depth and Jorge Ramos should be fine as a backup, but Kendall is a special player who carries the team’s defense. How LA fares on fly balls will be a story to watch over the next month.

17: Consecutive games Patrick Leonard has a hit in: Leonard has the longest hitting streak of his career going right now, raising his average to .311. Leonard is not known for high averages, but he’s been better since 2027 with .266 his lowest mark after an eerie consistency hitting between .247 and .251 his first five seasons of his career. The Dodgers are third in the league in hits and first in BABIP with Leonard playing a big part. The Mets have the best zone rating in the league, so Leonard’s hits on balls in play will be something to watch.

1: Home run allowed by Ismael Robles this year: Penguin has been on top of his game, keeping the ball in the park, on his way to saving 14 of 15 contests this year. Penguin still generates a ton of grounders, and while a bad BABIP has hurt him against lefties, he’s dominated right-handed pitching this year. He closed out the Pirates on Saturday for career save 200, then followed up Sunday with 201. Locking down a game today would give him 202, tying him with Jake Reed for 12th all time.


Questions for the GMs:


For Ryan Morneau, how good do you feel your team is? You’ve cleaned up against the dregs of the NL East, but have struggled outside of the division. Who are the real Mets?

Are you disappointed Rebel Ceja hasn’t been able to work out as a starting pitcher?

The Dodgers don’t have Jeren Kendall today. Will you try to get a lot of fly ball hitters in the lineup as a result?

For Ben Vincent, who will get Kendall’s roster spot going forward?

Eduardo Rodriguez has settled down a bit, but he’s been very shaky so far. Are you eying potential replacements if he can’t put together a strong run?

You have a few elite prospects. How willing are you to move them for the right piece to help this season?

TRIVIA: Jeren Kendall is far and away the all time leader in zone rating for a career for a Center Fielder. Who are the all time leaders for Right Field and Left Field?

[Ben_Dodgers]

who will get Kendall’s roster spot going forward?

Jorge Ramos will take over in center, and Dan Cabrera will join the club as a backup outfielder and bench bat.

Eduardo Rodriguez has settled down a bit, but he’s been very shaky so far. Are you eying potential replacements if he can’t put together a strong run?

Edgar Garcia is in the pen and capable of starting. Sal Blea is nearly ready in AAA. I’d like to see his command develop a bit more, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he debuts this season. Fortunately Wentz seems to have really turned things around this season, too.

You have a few elite prospects. How willing are you to move them for the right piece to help this season?

Doubtful… but it could happen. It’d have to be someone with multiple years of control. I stripped our minors pretty bare in the past making short term moves and I really want to rebuild the farm so we aren’t so reliant on expensive free agents at every position in the future.

[Commissioner Erick]

Dodgers 8 - Mets 3


WP: E. Rodriguez (5-5)
LP: J. Ramirez (5-5)


Dodgers first baseman Patrick Leonard put his stamp on his team's 8-3 win over the New York Mets. Leonard went 2-4 with a home run and a double, while scoring 2 runs and driving in 3 for Los Angeles in the contest. Eduardo Rodriguez, the winner, goes to 5-5. He allowed 3 runs on 6 hits, with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts over 7 innings. The Mets, at 31-23, have lost 4 in a row.

With one out in the top of the fourth, Joe Rizzo had a chance to do some damage. New York was trailing 6-0, but had the bases loaded. Rizzo came to the plate against Eduardo Rodriguez, and grounded out, driving in 1 run. But it was not enough to complete a New York comeback.


Questions for the GMs:

For Ryan Morneau, the Dodgers hit 12-29 on balls in play, a .414 mark. Was it bad luck, or was there a reason why your strong defense on balls in play didn't carry through today?

Why did you drop Luis Morales to seventh?

Jason Partridge was effective in long relief. Any shot at giving him a spot in the rotation?

For Ben Vincent, Eduardo Rodriguez settled in and had a good game. Why did he succeed today after struggling most of the year?

How did your outfield defense look with Ramos stepping into Jeren Kendall's shoes in Center Field?

Only one walk in the game for your hitters, but you only whiffed five times. How much does your team need to win the ball-in-play battle to succeed offensively?


TRIVIA: Luis Urias hit .356 last year. Who are the only two players to have a higher single-season batting average?

[Ben_Dodgers]

Eduardo Rodriguez settled in and had a good game. Why did he succeed today after struggling most of the year?

Rodriguez has moved into the "crafty veteran" stage of his career. While his stuff isn't quite as dynamic as it used to be, he still has pinpoint control and a lot of experience to draw on. And maybe he just needed a little more time to stretch out this season. April was rough - really rough - but ERod sports a 2.53 ERA and 5 of 6 quality starts since May 1. He's also in the last year of his contract and at 37, he really needs to demonstrate his value to teams if he wants to play next year.

How did your outfield defense look with Ramos stepping into Jeren Kendall's shoes in Center Field?

Well, there weren't a lot of fly balls this game, so it's a little hard to draw conclusions. Herron and Morales both had singles and came around to score. It's possible but unlikely Kendall might have gotten to either of those balls. Ramos is an excellent fielder and while it hurts to lose gold glove defense, he should do fine for the next several weeks.

Only one walk in the game for your hitters, but you only whiffed five times. How much does your team need to win the ball-in-play battle to succeed offensively?

We're not a team that's going to draw a lot of walks, so as Wee Willie Keeler said, we need to hit it where they ain't. BABIP generally settles around .300, but we have some players who have demonstrated over their careers that they can reliably exceed that.

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 2: Matt correctly guessed Corey Seager. Daniel correctly guessed Roderick Dalton

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 1: Nobody guessed Mickey Moniak and Mookie Betts