IGT 4/14/07 - The Duke tries to swat some (g)nats

[Neu-IndustrialMets57]

El Duque, Mets get first look at Hill
Washington (2-9) at New York (7-3), 1:10 p.m. ET
By Marty Noble / MLB.com


Willie Randolph graduated from the "see the ball, hit the ball" school. He questions the benefits of the video scouting players are wont to do nowadays, especially when they prepare to face a starting pitcher they've never seen.
The Mets manager respects the effort and hours players put into their preparation. But he also believes, "They end up giving too much credit to some [pitcher] they've never faced."

That sort of scenario could develop Saturday afternoon, when the Mets and Nationals play the second game of their weekend series. The Nationals starter is right-handed Shawn Hill, who the Mets have never faced.

"When you face a pitcher you don't know," Randolph said, "Swing the bat, be aggressive."

Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP Orlando Hernandez (1-0, 1.38 ERA)
El Duque's career ERA in 11 games and 76 innings at Shea Stadium is 2.61, his lowest ERA in any park in which he has pitched at least 75 innings.

WAS: RHP Shawn Hill (0-2, 3.09 ERA)
Left-handed hitters are batting .278 with a .389 slugging percentage against Hill. The corresponding numbers for right-handed hitters are .231 and .231.

Players to watch
Carlos Beltran reached base 32 times and scored 14 runs in 68 plate appearances against the Nationals last season.

For Washington, Austin Kearns has two home runs, a double and a single in eight career at-bats against El Duque.

[Neu-IndustrialMets57]

Yahoo Preview

The New York Mets starting pitchers are off to an outstanding start, with veteran Orlando Hernandez leading the way.

Hernandez looks for another strong outing on Saturday when the Mets continue their three-game series against the struggling Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium.

New York's starting pitchers have a NL-leading 2.51 ERA, and have allowed three earned runs or less in all 10 of their games.

The Mets (7-3) No. 5 starter Mike Pelfrey allowed two runs in 5 2-3 innings of his season debut on Friday, a 3-2 victory over the Nationals in the series opener.


The reigning NL East champs have won consecutive games and are 3-1 on their current six-game homestand.

"It's very important for us to continue where we left (off) last year," said 48-year-old Julio Franco, who drove home the go-ahead run on Friday with a pinch-hit single in the seventh inning.

Third baseman David Wright scored the go-ahead run, and finished 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 22 games. Wright is batting .316 (12-for-38) with three doubles in 10 games this season.

Hernandez (1-0, 1.38 ERA) has been the most consistent starter in the Mets rotation thus far, allowing two runs and seven hits in 13 innings in his two starts. The right-hander gave up only one run and two hits in six innings against Atlanta on Sunday, but New York ended up losing 3-2 after the bullpen yielded two eighth-inning runs.

Each of Hernandez's first two starts came on the road, and he'll make his Shea Stadium season debut with this start. He went 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA in nine starts at Shea in 2006.

Hernandez lost his only start against the Nationals last season, giving up three runs while striking out eight in seven innings of a 3-2 defeat last Sept. 22. He is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three career starts against the Washington franchise.

The Nationals (2-9) scored two runs in the second inning to take a rare early lead on Friday, but it wasn't enough. Washington had been the first major league team since 1900 not to score in the first three innings of any of its first 10 games.

The Nationals, who have lost seven of their last eight games, have scored three runs or less in all but one game.

"We've got to get more runs," said first-year manager Manny Acta, who was New York's third-base coach the past two seasons.

Shawn Hill (0-2, 3.09) makes his first career start against the Mets as he takes the hill for Washington. Hill gave the Nationals one of their best performances by one of their starters in his last appearance, but his offense once again didn't support him with any runs.

The right-hander gave up two runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings of Sunday's 3-1 loss to Arizona, and the lone Washington run came in the eighth inning.

Hill has not received any run support in his two starts, and has gotten one run or less in his last four starts dating back to 2006.

[Neu-IndustrialMets57]

Nationals-Mets Preview
CNNSI PREVIEW

The New York Mets starting pitchers are off to an outstanding start, with veteran Orlando Hernandez leading the way.

Hernandez looks for another strong outing on Saturday when the Mets continue their three-game series against the struggling Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium.

New York's starting pitchers have a NL-leading 2.51 ERA, and have allowed three earned runs or less in all 10 of their games.

The Mets (7-3) No. 5 starter Mike Pelfrey allowed two runs in 5 2-3 innings of his season debut on Friday, a 3-2 victory over the Nationals in the series opener.

The reigning NL East champs have won consecutive games and are 3-1 on their current six-game homestand.

"It's very important for us to continue where we left (off) last year,'' said 48-year-old Julio Franco , who drove home the go-ahead run on Friday with a pinch-hit single in the seventh inning.

Third baseman David Wright scored the go-ahead run, and finished 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 22 games. Wright is batting .316 (12-for-38) with three doubles in 10 games this season.

Hernandez (1-0, 1.38 ERA) has been the most consistent starter in the Mets rotation thus far, allowing two runs and seven hits in 13 innings in his two starts. The right-hander gave up only one run and two hits in six innings against Atlanta on Sunday, but New York ended up losing 3-2 after the bullpen yielded two eighth-inning runs.

Each of Hernandez's first two starts came on the road, and he'll make his Shea Stadium season debut with this start. He went 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA in nine starts at Shea in 2006.

Hernandez lost his only start against the Nationals last season, giving up three runs while striking out eight in seven innings of a 3-2 defeat last Sept. 22. He is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three career starts against the Washington franchise.

The Nationals (2-9) scored two runs in the second inning to take a rare early lead on Friday, but it wasn't enough. Washington had been the first major league team since 1900 not to score in the first three innings of any of its first 10 games.

The Nationals, who have lost seven of their last eight games, have scored three runs or less in all but one game.

"We've got to get more runs,'' said first-year manager Manny Acta, who was New York's third-base coach the past two seasons.

Shawn Hill (0-2, 3.09) makes his first career start against the Mets as he takes the hill for Washington. Hill gave the Nationals one of their best performances by one of their starters in his last appearance, but his offense once again didn't support him with any runs.

The right-hander gave up two runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings of Sunday's 3-1 loss to Arizona, and the lone Washington run came in the eighth inning.

Hill has not received any run support in his two starts, and has gotten one run or less in his last four starts dating back to 2006

[Neu-IndustrialMets57]

F. Lopez ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .244
R. Belliard 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .389
R. Zimmerman 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
D. Young 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
A. Kearns rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .279
R. Church cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .342
B. Schneider c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125
C. Snelling lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
S. Hill p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NY Mets
AB R H RBI BB K LOB Season Avg
J. Reyes ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .350
E. Chavez lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500
C. Beltran cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .270
C. Delgado 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .220
D. Wright 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .316
S. Green rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .306
R. Castro c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
J. Valentin 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167
O. Hernandez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .400
Totals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[Hojo of 1991]

Bravo on the most in-depth IGT start ever. LOL

[fuggedaboudit]

Jeez, even the B team lineup is amazing.

[gregjefferies09]

Bravo on the most in-depth IGT start ever. LOL

The Nationals are 2-6 after a loss this season. They struggle against lefthanders. They are terrible against righthanders.

The Nats are 0-2 when the crowd is bigger than 40,000.


They are also 0-1 in games when the pitchers of record are named Hernandez and Hill in 2007.

The Nats are 0-1 against the Mets this year.

[Metfan in MS]

pick your poison!

[NickPapagiorgio]

I really like that Willie started Chavez when he sat Duke today. I said that last weekend and think it gives us the best lineup when Duke is sitting.

[gregjefferies09]

That stadium is going to rule.

[gregjefferies09]

Good start.

[gregjefferies09]

Hit the weight room.

[gregjefferies09]

That is two nights in a row that a Met was called out when he was never tagged.

[NickPapagiorgio]

Strong baserunning by Beltran...at least Delgado is getting warm.

[gregjefferies09]

It also cost me fantasy points in my money league. I hate umps that suck at life. It is like folgers has secretly replaced the real umps for Mets games with volunteer tee-ball coaches.