Stuck in 6-game skid, Florida Marlins visit New York Mets
Stuck in 6-game skid, Florida Marlins visit New York Mets
After opening the 2009 season streaking to an 11-1 mark, the Florida Marlins limp into New York to face David Wright and the Mets mired in a six-game losing skid.
Exactly when is it no longer too early to brand a series ‘crucial’ between a pair of division rivals? With calendars still showing April, there certainly aren’t any must-win games just yet for MLB clubs. But for the Florida Marlins and New York Mets, who open a three-game set at Citi Field on Monday, this series still deserves a critical label.
The darlings of the majors during the first two weeks of the season when they ran up an 11-1 record, Florida hit the skids with a winless third week that included being swept by the Keystone State teams, losing at Pittsburgh and then back home over the weekend to the defending World Series champs from Philadelphia.
The Phillies got the sweep on Sunday in a 13-2 laugher that saw the Fish hand out 11 free passes, six by starter Graham Taylor making his MLB debut. Taylor got the nod in that game in place of injured Andrew Miller.
The Mets also found the season’s third week a bit of a struggle as the were swept in St. Louis to open the week before rebounding at home in New York to take two of three from the Nationals. The Mets were also in a giving mood on Sunday in their 8-1 loss to the Nats who took advantage of six walks, a hit batsman and an error by New York third sacker David Wright to win for just the fourth time this season, two of those wins now by rookie hurler Jordan Zimmerman.
Florida (11-7, +3.00) is still atop the NL East to begin this series, though their lead over the Phillies was whittled to 1½ games after the sweep. New York (8-10, -5.75) is three games behind the Marlins in fourth currently.
The Mets traveled to Miami a little more than two weeks ago to meet the Marlins, and this return engagement is listing the exact same pitching matchups as that series. Anibal Sanchez (2-1, 2.50) will get the ball in the opener of this one for the Fish just as he did in the opener in Florida, and just as he did in that game the Venezuelan righty will face New York’s John Maine (0-3, 7.47). Neither figured in the decision when they met on April 10 eventually won by the Marlins 5-4 on a walk-off single by Jorge Cantu in the bottom of the ninth.
Monday's Game 1 opened with the Mets listed around -140 at 5Dimes and the Marlins +130'ish. TNew York has moved into the -150 prices at most shops since the opener was published with the total holding at 9½.
Game 2 finds Ricky Nolasco (2-2, 6.86) on the mound for the Marlins against Livan Hernandez (2-1, 7.31) for the Mets. The series wraps up on Wednesday with what looks like a dandy of a matchup as Josh Johnson (3-1, 2.20) goes for Florida against New York’s Johan Santana (3-1, 0.70).
For Sanchez, Monday’s assignment will be the fifth of his major league career against the Mets with Florida 3-1 in the previous four outings. In two previous starts on the road in New York, Sanchez and Marlins are even at 1-1 with the righthander sporting a 3.48 ERA at Shea. Overall he has a 2.82 ERA against the Mets.
In his start vs. New York on April 10, Sanchez worked five scoreless frames allowing four hits and striking out five. It was his first start of the season after making just 14 starts in 2007-08 due to arm issues. The one batter in New York’s lineup that has given Sanchez trouble is Ryan Church who is 7-for-13 lifetime. Wright and Jose Reyes are a combined 4-for-20 against him.
Maine also worked five innings in that April 10 contest, striking out five and allowing just two hits. Those two hits just happened to be solo homers by Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. In his previous six starts vs. Florida, the Mets are 4-2 with Maine owning a 2.57 ERA in those assignments.
In the previous Nolasco-Hernandez matchup on April 11, the Mets built a 5-0 lead before coasting an 8-4 win. Nolasco was charged with four earned in five frames while Hernandez worked 6.2 innings and allowed two runs.
Both pitchers will face hitters that have given them trouble over the years. Reyes and Wright own Nolasco, combining for 25 hits in 57 at bats (.439) and each stroking three homers against him. Hernandez has had his problems against Uggla, Ramirez and Jeremy Hermida who are a combined 14-for-40 (.350) with two homers off the chunky Cuban.
Neither Johnson nor Santana have had much trouble against the beef of the opposition over the years. Johnson, who failed to get a win in his last start despite going seven shutout innings, has held New York’s Big 4 – Reyes, Wright, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran – in check by limiting that quartet to just eight hits in 58 at bats (.138) and not allowing a home run to the foursome. He enters with 29 strikeouts in his 28.2 innings of work this season.
Santana comes in with 37 K’s in 25.2 innings over the span of his four starts so far in 2009. Uggla and Ramirez are a combined 6-for-40 (.150) with 18 strikeouts against the southpaw.
Monday and Tuesday will see first pitch times of 7:10 p.m. (ET), with Wednesday’s finale slated for a 1:10 p.m. start. Weather forecasts currently call for little chance of rain in the Queens area for the three games. Monday should see temps in the low-70s at game time. Winds will start off out of the ESE at 10 MPH during the day and shift to being more out of the south as the evening progresses. The new park sits on a Home-to-Center line of SW-NE.
Tuesday is supposed to be a warm one in the Big Apple with highs in the low-90s called for right now. That should put a game time temp in the low-to-mid 80s. It will cool off for Wednesday afternoon’s game with a high in the mid-60s and clouds rolling in with a 20% chance of the wet stuff.
The Greek made the Mets -175 favorites to win the series with the Marlins priced as +155 underdogs. New York won 10 of the 18 games played between the two teams last year, going 5-4 at home and 5-4 away. The Mets won four of the six sets.
*NOTE: The W-L records listed for pitchers denote team win-loss marks when those pitchers have started for their team in the 2009 season.
After opening the 2009 season streaking to an 11-1 mark, the Florida Marlins limp into New York to face David Wright and the Mets mired in a six-game losing skid.
Exactly when is it no longer too early to brand a series ‘crucial’ between a pair of division rivals? With calendars still showing April, there certainly aren’t any must-win games just yet for MLB clubs. But for the Florida Marlins and New York Mets, who open a three-game set at Citi Field on Monday, this series still deserves a critical label.
The darlings of the majors during the first two weeks of the season when they ran up an 11-1 record, Florida hit the skids with a winless third week that included being swept by the Keystone State teams, losing at Pittsburgh and then back home over the weekend to the defending World Series champs from Philadelphia.
The Phillies got the sweep on Sunday in a 13-2 laugher that saw the Fish hand out 11 free passes, six by starter Graham Taylor making his MLB debut. Taylor got the nod in that game in place of injured Andrew Miller.
The Mets also found the season’s third week a bit of a struggle as the were swept in St. Louis to open the week before rebounding at home in New York to take two of three from the Nationals. The Mets were also in a giving mood on Sunday in their 8-1 loss to the Nats who took advantage of six walks, a hit batsman and an error by New York third sacker David Wright to win for just the fourth time this season, two of those wins now by rookie hurler Jordan Zimmerman.
Florida (11-7, +3.00) is still atop the NL East to begin this series, though their lead over the Phillies was whittled to 1½ games after the sweep. New York (8-10, -5.75) is three games behind the Marlins in fourth currently.
The Mets traveled to Miami a little more than two weeks ago to meet the Marlins, and this return engagement is listing the exact same pitching matchups as that series. Anibal Sanchez (2-1, 2.50) will get the ball in the opener of this one for the Fish just as he did in the opener in Florida, and just as he did in that game the Venezuelan righty will face New York’s John Maine (0-3, 7.47). Neither figured in the decision when they met on April 10 eventually won by the Marlins 5-4 on a walk-off single by Jorge Cantu in the bottom of the ninth.
Monday's Game 1 opened with the Mets listed around -140 at 5Dimes and the Marlins +130'ish. TNew York has moved into the -150 prices at most shops since the opener was published with the total holding at 9½.
Game 2 finds Ricky Nolasco (2-2, 6.86) on the mound for the Marlins against Livan Hernandez (2-1, 7.31) for the Mets. The series wraps up on Wednesday with what looks like a dandy of a matchup as Josh Johnson (3-1, 2.20) goes for Florida against New York’s Johan Santana (3-1, 0.70).
For Sanchez, Monday’s assignment will be the fifth of his major league career against the Mets with Florida 3-1 in the previous four outings. In two previous starts on the road in New York, Sanchez and Marlins are even at 1-1 with the righthander sporting a 3.48 ERA at Shea. Overall he has a 2.82 ERA against the Mets.
In his start vs. New York on April 10, Sanchez worked five scoreless frames allowing four hits and striking out five. It was his first start of the season after making just 14 starts in 2007-08 due to arm issues. The one batter in New York’s lineup that has given Sanchez trouble is Ryan Church who is 7-for-13 lifetime. Wright and Jose Reyes are a combined 4-for-20 against him.
Maine also worked five innings in that April 10 contest, striking out five and allowing just two hits. Those two hits just happened to be solo homers by Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. In his previous six starts vs. Florida, the Mets are 4-2 with Maine owning a 2.57 ERA in those assignments.
In the previous Nolasco-Hernandez matchup on April 11, the Mets built a 5-0 lead before coasting an 8-4 win. Nolasco was charged with four earned in five frames while Hernandez worked 6.2 innings and allowed two runs.
Both pitchers will face hitters that have given them trouble over the years. Reyes and Wright own Nolasco, combining for 25 hits in 57 at bats (.439) and each stroking three homers against him. Hernandez has had his problems against Uggla, Ramirez and Jeremy Hermida who are a combined 14-for-40 (.350) with two homers off the chunky Cuban.
Neither Johnson nor Santana have had much trouble against the beef of the opposition over the years. Johnson, who failed to get a win in his last start despite going seven shutout innings, has held New York’s Big 4 – Reyes, Wright, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran – in check by limiting that quartet to just eight hits in 58 at bats (.138) and not allowing a home run to the foursome. He enters with 29 strikeouts in his 28.2 innings of work this season.
Santana comes in with 37 K’s in 25.2 innings over the span of his four starts so far in 2009. Uggla and Ramirez are a combined 6-for-40 (.150) with 18 strikeouts against the southpaw.
Monday and Tuesday will see first pitch times of 7:10 p.m. (ET), with Wednesday’s finale slated for a 1:10 p.m. start. Weather forecasts currently call for little chance of rain in the Queens area for the three games. Monday should see temps in the low-70s at game time. Winds will start off out of the ESE at 10 MPH during the day and shift to being more out of the south as the evening progresses. The new park sits on a Home-to-Center line of SW-NE.
Tuesday is supposed to be a warm one in the Big Apple with highs in the low-90s called for right now. That should put a game time temp in the low-to-mid 80s. It will cool off for Wednesday afternoon’s game with a high in the mid-60s and clouds rolling in with a 20% chance of the wet stuff.
The Greek made the Mets -175 favorites to win the series with the Marlins priced as +155 underdogs. New York won 10 of the 18 games played between the two teams last year, going 5-4 at home and 5-4 away. The Mets won four of the six sets.
*NOTE: The W-L records listed for pitchers denote team win-loss marks when those pitchers have started for their team in the 2009 season.
