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Mets vs Dodgers 10:10 PM
After a much needed rest day the Mets now start the six game West Coast trip tonight against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers will have rising star Yoshinobu Yamamoto take the bump. Yamamoto was rocked in his first start of the year against the Padres but since then has had solid outings against the Cardinals and Cubs. Over his first four starts Yamamoto has an ERA of 4.50 with 21 strikeouts over 16 innings pitched. He has yet to go over 5 innings pitched in a start which helps the Mets case the way they have been able to hit opposing teams bullpens. The Mets will look to apply pressure early on to make Yamamoto uncomfortable.
For the Mets Sean Manaea will look to overcome a poor performance against the Royals in his previous start. He only managed to pitch 3 and 2/3rds and gave up 6 earned runs. Besides that Manaea has been good for the Mets only giving up one earned run in his first two starts and has struck out 18 batters on the season. He has faced the Dodgers previously mostly with the San Diego Padres and has struggled. In 10 appearances against Los Angeles Manaea has a record of 1-5 with an ERA of 7.50 and 39 strikeouts. It is going to be important for Manaea to get ahead in the count against this lineup and keep the ball in the park.
Keys to the game:
Small ball is the name of the game for the Mets. With a new pitcher in Yamamoto it is crucial the Mets find ways to make him feel uncomfortable. Whether it be working the count, finding different ways to get runners on base and capitalizing when mistakes are made. Something the Mets have done very well over the last 10 games will need to continue throughout this series.