Post by Commissioner Erick on Apr 21, 2019 20:04:28 GMT -5
Miami Marlins (2-3) @ New York Mets (4-1)
MIA: A. Bradley (1-0, 0.00)
NYM: J. deGrom (1-0, 3.00)
The New York Mets have seen their pitching staff relatively healthy and they've jumped out to a 4-1 record this season as a result. The Miami Marlins just saw the back of their rotation get pulverized in Washington as they've scuffled to a 2-3 opening week.
The Mets will turn to another of their aces as the Marlins turn to the front of the rotation is what should be an excellent pitching matchup for the Game of the Week.
Jacob DeGrom should take the ball today against a Marlins team that hasn't scored too well in the early going. The deGrominator was one of the few Mets starters who stayed healthy last year and he turned in a fine year. He was resigned to working shorter outings, only throwing 148.1 innings in 33 starts. He was effective though, working to a 3.03 ERA.
DeGrom has made one start so far this year, going 6 innings against the Royals and allowing just two runs over 6 innings, walking two and fanning seven. He's not on a strict pitch count, so he should be able to go deeper into games this year than last.
One thing the constant stream of injuries has done to the Mets is tax their bullpen. Last year, Jeruys Familia threw 97 innings and Daniel Coulombe fired 116.1. The hope is a deeper and healthier staff will eliminate the need for exorbitant innings totals from their pen. Five relievers have already thrown at least 3 innings in five games though, so it looks as if the Mets will still be a team getting a lot of innings out of short relievers.
Something that will help is a defense that leads the NL in zone rating in the early going. The more runs saved by a good defense, the less stress an overworked pitching staff will feel. Mookie Betts dropped a foul pop up in the third inning of his Mets debut, but he's been terrific since then, making every single chance including a couple of spectacular grabs. With a pair of Gold Gloves in his award collection, this isn't a surprise. He's committed two errors each of the last two seasons, so if the trend continues, he'll only commit one more over the remaining 157 games this year.
Jason Heyward isn't in the same league as Betts as a total ballplayer, but he's another exceptional defensive player brought in to overhaul a Mets defense that hasn't been very good. In fact, in team Zone Rating, the Mets have ranked 14th, 12th, 14th, and 14th. They've always had subpar right field defense and abominable center field defense.
That's not the case this year. Heyward's 1.1 Zone Rating leads all center fielders so far as he and Betts are already transforming the team. Offensively, he's always shown good patience at the plate, but a lack of power has meant his offense has been dependent on his batted ball average. In 2021 though, he's not hitting for average but he has two home runs thus far, which is a nice surprise.
The offense hasn't clicked yet, but the pitching staff has been dominant and the defense has been a big help. With the arms New York has, they're more than equipped to win low-scoring games.
The Marlins played no low-scoring games in Washington, allowing 30 runs in the three-game sweep at the hands of the Nationals. They'll turn their rotation over and send Archie Bradley to the mound tonight. Bradley pitched the season opener against the Detroit Tigers and was splendid, allowing a hit, a walk, and no runs in 6 innings, striking out 10 Tigers in the process. He had a rough year last year, giving up too much hard contact, but his stuff is still excellent. With four terrific pitches and a Mets offense that doesn't look like a premier attack, Bradley may be able to keep the Marlins in the game.
Miami's offense is really struggling though outside of their older veterans. Jose Abreu has a .389 average and 6 RBIs. Wilmer Flores is back and has made a difference with a .300 average and a home run. Young Nick Gordon is batting .353 in the early going as well. However, they haven't gotten much from the top of their order.
Jeren Kendall hasn't gotten off to a good start, going just 3-18 with a walk in the early going, while Willi Castro is batting .250 with no walks, no extra base hits, and is 0-2 on steals. Those two will need to play well to get runs on the scoreboard. Kendall is just 1-18 in his lifetime against deGrom though, while Wilmer Flores is 0-13, so it may be tough for the Marlins to set the table tonight.
Questions for the GM's:
For Ben Vincent, Brady McConnell has a bright future, but he's a raw rookie that has to be on the big club since he was grabbed in the Rule V draft. Will he play at all to accelerate his develop him, or will he be an end-of-bench player this season?
Drew Steckenrider really struggled last year, and isn't off to a strong start this year. What are your options if continues to struggle.
Some of your key players have struggled this season and against deGrom historically, but Bradley should be able to do a good job against a Mets lineup that isn't very intimidating. How would you like to see your manager bot manage things today?
For Steve Cox, Michael Conforto previously was a staple of the middle of the Mets lineup. You have him lower in the order this year. Why have you soured on him?
You brought in former Marlin A.J. Ramos this offseason. What are your expectations for him this year?
In Betts, Heyward, and Orlando Arcia, you've brought in a number of great defensive players. How much of a focus was that for you this offseason?
TRIVIA: Isael Soto and Jeren Kendall have each been hit by two pitches, tied for the second most in the NL. Who leads the NL in hit by pitches thus far?
MIA: A. Bradley (1-0, 0.00)
NYM: J. deGrom (1-0, 3.00)
The New York Mets have seen their pitching staff relatively healthy and they've jumped out to a 4-1 record this season as a result. The Miami Marlins just saw the back of their rotation get pulverized in Washington as they've scuffled to a 2-3 opening week.
The Mets will turn to another of their aces as the Marlins turn to the front of the rotation is what should be an excellent pitching matchup for the Game of the Week.
Jacob DeGrom should take the ball today against a Marlins team that hasn't scored too well in the early going. The deGrominator was one of the few Mets starters who stayed healthy last year and he turned in a fine year. He was resigned to working shorter outings, only throwing 148.1 innings in 33 starts. He was effective though, working to a 3.03 ERA.
DeGrom has made one start so far this year, going 6 innings against the Royals and allowing just two runs over 6 innings, walking two and fanning seven. He's not on a strict pitch count, so he should be able to go deeper into games this year than last.
One thing the constant stream of injuries has done to the Mets is tax their bullpen. Last year, Jeruys Familia threw 97 innings and Daniel Coulombe fired 116.1. The hope is a deeper and healthier staff will eliminate the need for exorbitant innings totals from their pen. Five relievers have already thrown at least 3 innings in five games though, so it looks as if the Mets will still be a team getting a lot of innings out of short relievers.
Something that will help is a defense that leads the NL in zone rating in the early going. The more runs saved by a good defense, the less stress an overworked pitching staff will feel. Mookie Betts dropped a foul pop up in the third inning of his Mets debut, but he's been terrific since then, making every single chance including a couple of spectacular grabs. With a pair of Gold Gloves in his award collection, this isn't a surprise. He's committed two errors each of the last two seasons, so if the trend continues, he'll only commit one more over the remaining 157 games this year.
Jason Heyward isn't in the same league as Betts as a total ballplayer, but he's another exceptional defensive player brought in to overhaul a Mets defense that hasn't been very good. In fact, in team Zone Rating, the Mets have ranked 14th, 12th, 14th, and 14th. They've always had subpar right field defense and abominable center field defense.
That's not the case this year. Heyward's 1.1 Zone Rating leads all center fielders so far as he and Betts are already transforming the team. Offensively, he's always shown good patience at the plate, but a lack of power has meant his offense has been dependent on his batted ball average. In 2021 though, he's not hitting for average but he has two home runs thus far, which is a nice surprise.
The offense hasn't clicked yet, but the pitching staff has been dominant and the defense has been a big help. With the arms New York has, they're more than equipped to win low-scoring games.
The Marlins played no low-scoring games in Washington, allowing 30 runs in the three-game sweep at the hands of the Nationals. They'll turn their rotation over and send Archie Bradley to the mound tonight. Bradley pitched the season opener against the Detroit Tigers and was splendid, allowing a hit, a walk, and no runs in 6 innings, striking out 10 Tigers in the process. He had a rough year last year, giving up too much hard contact, but his stuff is still excellent. With four terrific pitches and a Mets offense that doesn't look like a premier attack, Bradley may be able to keep the Marlins in the game.
Miami's offense is really struggling though outside of their older veterans. Jose Abreu has a .389 average and 6 RBIs. Wilmer Flores is back and has made a difference with a .300 average and a home run. Young Nick Gordon is batting .353 in the early going as well. However, they haven't gotten much from the top of their order.
Jeren Kendall hasn't gotten off to a good start, going just 3-18 with a walk in the early going, while Willi Castro is batting .250 with no walks, no extra base hits, and is 0-2 on steals. Those two will need to play well to get runs on the scoreboard. Kendall is just 1-18 in his lifetime against deGrom though, while Wilmer Flores is 0-13, so it may be tough for the Marlins to set the table tonight.
Questions for the GM's:
For Ben Vincent, Brady McConnell has a bright future, but he's a raw rookie that has to be on the big club since he was grabbed in the Rule V draft. Will he play at all to accelerate his develop him, or will he be an end-of-bench player this season?
Drew Steckenrider really struggled last year, and isn't off to a strong start this year. What are your options if continues to struggle.
Some of your key players have struggled this season and against deGrom historically, but Bradley should be able to do a good job against a Mets lineup that isn't very intimidating. How would you like to see your manager bot manage things today?
For Steve Cox, Michael Conforto previously was a staple of the middle of the Mets lineup. You have him lower in the order this year. Why have you soured on him?
You brought in former Marlin A.J. Ramos this offseason. What are your expectations for him this year?
In Betts, Heyward, and Orlando Arcia, you've brought in a number of great defensive players. How much of a focus was that for you this offseason?
TRIVIA: Isael Soto and Jeren Kendall have each been hit by two pitches, tied for the second most in the NL. Who leads the NL in hit by pitches thus far?
