Pitching Matchup:

Lineup:

…Jason Hammel is one of those pitchers who is simply not very good and one that the Mets lineup should beat up on.  Excited to get to watch Carlos Gonzalez who is right up there with Josh Hamilton, Hanley Ramirez, and Albert Pujols for being the most talented guy in Major League Baseball as well as Troy Tulowitzki who has the potential to be a perennial All-Star even with having to compete with Jose Reyes and HanRam.  How lucky are the Mets not to have to face Ubaldo Jimenez?

Such a crucial start for Mike Pelfrey.  Big Pelf has such a fragile mindset that he needs something positive to happen to him.  He could easily go up there and toss 7 shutout innings tonight against a tough lineup and everyone would just say those last two starts were fluky, but I think this problem might be a little deeper…

My Prediction: Mets win 3 out of 4 from the Rockies. Win tonight 9-5.

Pitching Matchup:

Lineup:

…I know it is already the third inning, but better late then never.  The Ranger’s game and other commitments strapped me on time today…

Pitching Matchup:

Lineup:

Notes:  You see Blanton has that sparkling ERA and record versus the Mets, but I still don’t see him pitching very well tonight.  I do not think he is a good pitcher and with the way the Mets are swinging the bats early on in the season they should clobber him.  On the flip side I’m not that confident in Pelfrey after his last start.  He looked awful and wasn’t particularly good in spring training although he is historically bad there.  I actually do think Pelfrey matches up better against the Phillies lineup than the Marlins so I would not be shocked if he pitches much better, but I will wait and see.  The offense has just been great and with the great career numbers Harris has against Blanton I see him being the spark plug again tonight who gets the Mets going.

Prediction: Mets 9 – Phillies 5

The New York Mets (1-1) take on the Florida Marlins (1-1) this afternoon at 1:10 pm.  After losing on opening day the Mets defeated the Marlins 6-4 in extra innings to tie the series up at one a piece.  The Mets will try to win their first series of the year in this rubber game.

Pitching Matchup:

R.A. Dickey (11-9, 2.84 ERA) vs. Javier Vazquez (10-10, 5.32 ERA)

Lineups:

[tweeted]http://twitter.com/NewYorkMets/status/54533320888950785[/tweeted]

Notes:

• I still like the Duda/Beltran lineup better, but Willie Harris is earning his playing time right now and I understand we have to get Carlos some rest. With the day off tomorrow though I thought he could have played the full first series.
• Javier Vazquez almost always does pretty well against the Mets.  He is getting older though so hopefully he continues the bad season he had with the Yankees last year.
• Omar Infante, Gaby Sanchez, and Hanley Ramirez all killed R.A. Dickey last year.

Prediction: Mets 7 – Marlins 5

The New York Mets (0-1) take on the Florida Marlins (1-0) tonight at 7:10 pm.  The Marlins took game one of the series by a score of 6-2 and the Mets will now try to even things up.

Pitching Matchup:

Jon Niese (9-10, 4.20 ERA in 2010) vs. Ricky Nolasco (14-9, 4.51 ERA in 2010)

Lineup:

[tweeted]http://twitter.com/NewYorkMets/status/54244058624819200[/tweeted]

Notes:

• Lucas Duda is getting in the lineup this time.  Even though Willie Harris played well yesterday the lineup looks much more balanced with Duda’s bat in the middle and Angel Pagan near the time.
• The Mets are catching a big break with Marlins right fielder Mike Stanton sitting out tonight because of hamstring tightness.  The dynamics of the Marlins lineup completely changes without him in it.
• Historically the Mets KILL Ricky Nolasco even though he beat them twice last year.  David Wright, Jose Reyes,  Pagan, and Carlos Beltran are all hitting over .333 over him.  Coming off the bench, Scott Hairston and Daniel Murphy are also hitting over .333.
• Despite striking out 25 batters in 26 innings verse the Marlins in his career Jon Niese has a 1-4 record in 5 starts.  He will try to buck that trend tonight.

Prediction: Mets 7 – Marlins 4

4/1/11 – 7:10 PM: RHP Mike Pelfrey (15-9, 3.66) vs. RHP Josh Johnson (11-6, 2.30)

4/2/11 – 7:10 PM: LHP Jon Niese (9-10, 4.20) vs. RHP Ricky Nolasco (14-9, 4.51)

4/3/11 – 1:10 PM: RHP R.A. Dickey (11-9, 2.84) vs. RHP Javier Vazquez (10-10, 5.32)

*2010 stats

Lineup:

Mets                                                                                                Marlins
Jose Reyes, ss                                                                         Chris Coghlan, cf
Willie Harris, lf                                                                         Omar Infante, 2b
David Wright, 3b                                                                      Hanley Ramirez, ss
Carlos Beltran, rf                                                                      Mike Stanton, rf
Angel Pagan, cf                                                                        Gaby Sanchez, 1b
Ike Davis, 1b                                                                           Logan Morrison, lf
Brad Emaus, 2b                                                                       John Buck, c
Josh Thole, c                                                                           Donnie Murphy, 3b

Running out of time for this first one so not much info.  I do think the Marlins have the much better starting pitching, but Mets have the better lineup, bullpen, and bench.

Stats:

Pelfrey vs. Marlins (career: 1-6, 5.32 ERA)     vs.     Johnson vs. Mets (career: 7-1, 2.74 ERA)

Niese vs. Marlins (career: 1-4, 6.49 ERA)     vs.     Nolasco vs. Mets (career: 5-6, 5.46 ERA)

Dickey vs. Marlins (career: 2-2, 6.92 ERA)    vs.     Vazquez vs. Mets (career: 10-9, 3.16 ERA)

Prediction: Mets win 2 out of 3