The Mets could probably use a few days out of town to get their heads straight and quite frankly, to get away from all the douchebag Yankee fans. After losing the Subway Series (both) by 5 games to 1, I know I as a fan was furious, especially after two of the last 3 games came so close and quite honestly, should have been Mets victories. In fact, it should have been a Mets sweep. I personally can’t stand the Subway Series, and thank goodness there’s talk of limiting it to only 4 games from here on out. R.A. Dickey, hold your head high, you have done amazing things so far this year and we’re all proud of you.
The Mets head out for a 7-day road trip, stopping first at historic Wrigley Field to open up a 3-game series with the Cubbies. First pitch is scheduled for tonight at 8:05 pm EST, and the game can be seen on SNY, heard on WFAN660AM and followed on Twitter @MetsWFAN. @dailystache and @Meriwyn.
The Cubs are having an abysmal season so far, and currently sit at 24 games below .500. As a result, they are at the front of the trade rumors, mostly centered around pitchers Ryan Dempster (currently on the DL) and Matt Garza. Kevin Youkilis was the imminent trade everyone was talking about, but since he changed the colors of his Sox yesterday, that will die down.
The Mets take another DL hit, this time sending Franky Frank with a left oblique issue. As a result, the Mets have now done a complete 360 and will have to rely on Bobby Parnell to once again close out games.
Murph is out of the lineup again tonight, being mired in a horrible slump. On a better note, Ike Davis returns to 1st base tonight after a short bout with food poisoning. Also back last night was Ruben Tejada, and I know we’re all happy to see him.
The Mets’ perennial bright spot, David Wright, has a 14-game hitting streak and is currently hitting .360 for the season.
Mets Lineup
1. Andres Torres, CF
2. Ruben Tejada, SS
3. David Wright, 3B
4. Scott Hairston, LF
5. Lucas Duda, RF
6. Ronny Cedeno, 2B
7. Ike Davis, 1B
8. Mike Nickeas, C
9. Johan Santana, SP
Cubs Lineup
1. Reed Johnson, RF
2. Darwin Barney, 2B
3. Starlin Castro, SS
4. Alfonso Soriano, LF
5. Jeff Baker, 1B
6. Geovanny Soto, C
7. Joe Mather, CF
8. Luis Valbuena, 3B
9. Travis Wood, SP
Pitching Matchup
NYM: Johan Santana (5-3, 3.00 ERA). Santana righted his ship, so to speak, and threw 6 shutout innings against the Orioles on Tuesday. This was his first quality start after he pitched the no-hitter on June 1st.
CHC: Travis Wood (1-3, 4.14 ERA). Wood got his first win with the Cubs in his last start, and it came against Jake Peavy and the cross-town rival White Sox. The lefty has given up a maximum of 3 runs in his 6 of 7 starts and has a 2.92 ERA in his last 4.
Stache Keys to the Game(s)
- Forget the Yankees and focus on the Cubs
- Why can’t they all hit at the same time? Murph needs to get back on the horse.
- According to Adam Rubin, there’s a stiff wind tonight at Wrigley. So, probably not a lot of home runs.
June 25th in Mets History
Happy Birthday Alejandro Pena, Aaron Sele, Michael Tucker, Carlos Delgado and Kane Davis!
LET’S GO METS!!
