Picture Credit: MLB.tv & ESPN
Mets (Houser) vs Pirates (Perez)
Another series another red hot team the Mets will face for a three game set. The Pittsburgh Pirates come into Flushing with one of the best starts to the season they have had in a long time. With a record of 11-5 the Pirates are tied for the most wins in the national league with the Dodgers.
Taking a deeper dive into the Pirates offensively they are currently 5th in the league in hits, tied 14th for home runs, 7th in runs batted in, 2nd in walks, and 11th in OPS. On the flip side they have struck out 160 times this year which puts them 5th in the league in offensive strikeouts. This tells us that the Pirates love to work the count.
On the mound for the Pirates Martin Perez will be the starting pitcher tonight. Perez has been incredible so far this year with a 1.89 ERA in three games with 19 innings pitched. Perez is somewhat familiar with the Mets as he has faced them 8 times over his 12 year career. He holds a 4-0 record with an ERA of 2.88 and 25 strikeouts against the Mets in his career.
The Mets come into this game riding high winning their third straight series in a row against two up and coming teams (Reds & Royals) and the almighty Atlanta Braves. This will be another tough test for the Mets as Adrian Houser takes the ball for the Mets in game one. Houser is looking to bounce back after a rough start in Atlanta. Over 5 innings he gave up 8 hits that drove in 5 runs. 3 of which was in the 3rd inning where it felt like every single Brave was hitting anything Houser threw.
Houser, being a former Brewer, is facing a familiar team in the Pirates. He has 14 appearances against Pittsburgh with a 4-3 record and an ERA of 3.79 with 40 strikeouts. Houser will look to pound the zone all night to get ahead of this young Pirates lineup.
Keys to the Game:
For a Pirates team that strikes out and walks a ton Mets pitchers are going to have to pound the strike zone. This is not a Pirates lineup that has multiple people that can put one over the fence at any given moment, Mets pitchers are going to have to trust the defense. Offensively the Mets are going to need to find ways to work the count on Perez. Perez is coming off a game where he pitched 8 innings only giving up 1 run which is almost unheard of in today’s baseball. It is crucial for the Mets to be able to work the pitch count and make Perez feel uncomfortable.