Here is today’s Mets line up as the try to break through with a victory in the South Bronx:
Andres Torres – CF
Jason Bay – LF
David Wright – 3B
Scott Hairston – RF
Lucas Duda – DH
Vinny Rottino – 1B
Omar Quintanilla – SS
Mike Nickeas – C
Jordanny Valdespin – 2B
As Keith Hernandez would say, “My word”!!!!!
Andres Torres AND Jason Bay at the top of the line up?????? Sure is a far cry from the days of Lenny/Mookie and Wally.
So Terry Collins as taken out automatic out Ike Davis and replaces his anemic bat with Mike Nickeas and he gives #ImWith28 a well needed day off and slots Jordanny Valdespin at 2nd base. I hope Valdespin goes 4 for 4 thus putting pressure on Sandy Alderson to send Ike to Buffalo and move #ImWith28 over to 1st and Jordanny to 2nd base. It’s time Sandy, oh yeah, it’s time.
Well, the top four guys in the lineup are hitting a combined .420 and slugging .696 against Pettitte over their careers (Bay is 14-for-32 against Pettitte, a .438 average), so maybe the lineup isn’t as bad as you might think.
The important thing that we should look at in this game is Jon Niese. He was wonderful last Sunday against St. Louis, striking out a career-high 10 batters in six scoreless innings. How will he react to having a full week between starts? It didn’t work well for Santana. If Niese can keep the Yankees in the ballpark, then I’d expect a win today, even with that lineup that doesn’t look good on paper, but in reality, isn’t as bad as people are making it out to be.