The New York Mets are heading to the West Coast for a 6 game road trip starting against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers are currently coming into the series first in the National League West with a record of 12-9. However over the last 10 games they are 4-6 with series losses to the Nationals, Padres, and Cubs. In the six losses they have the Dodgers have given up 33 runs and have a team ERA of 4.14 through the first 21 games of the season. They are 12th in the league in hits given up, 5th in earned runs and tied 4th in home runs given up. To put in perspective how well the Mets have been pitching they are tied 28th in hits given up, 26th in earned runs, and 29th in home runs. With all of that being said the Dodgers still have the most strikeouts as a team in the league with an average of 8.9 per game. The Mets will look to get on the starting pitchers early something they were unable to do in the Pittsburgh series.
The Mets are heading into the West Coast trip with a raging hot 8-2 record in the last 10 games winning their last 4 series. Over the last week and a half the Mets have scored 65 runs during this 10 game stretch and have given up 36 runs. The story at the start of this season has been pitching. While Mets fans wondered where the direction of this team was going under the Sterns era, Sterns has brought in a mix of arms that has kept opposing batters quiet during this early part of the season. With a group ERA of 3.15 that puts the Mets 6th in the league and that does not include Kodai Senga who is eligible to come off the 60-day IL on May 27th. The bullpen has been outstanding so far this year with great outings from Reed Garrett, Brooks Raley, Adam Ottavino, Jorge Lopez, Drew Smith, and Edwin Diaz. This seems that it will be the core of the Mets bullpen the whole entire season as Carlos Mendoza has strategically used in the early part of the season.
Probable Pitching Match-Ups and Game Times:
Sean Manaea (1-1) Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1) 4/19 10:10 PM
Jose Butto (0-0) Gavin Stone (1-1) 4/20 4:05 PM FS1
Adrian Houser (0-1) James Paxton (2-0) 4/21 4:10 PM
Comments
One response to “Are the Dodgers as scary as people make them seem? Mets vs Dodgers Series Preview”
If the Mets keep playing “desperate to win” double steal baseball… All bets are off. Break out the small ball. Drag bunt lefties. Steal. Then let Alonso, Alvarez, or Lindor trash one to the seats. It’s a good time for Lindor and Alvarez power to arrive.
Create pressure on Yamamoto. Get runners on “by sny means necessary” (c) Then break him with moon shots. A lefty drag bunt single after a 3 run blast… Is relentless. Pitchers can’t handle that. Then a McNeil single. Bader double. Pitching change. DJ Stewart double. Nimmo walks. Passed ball. Pressure equals pitching mistakes.