After an All-Star break with some highs and lows, the Mets are ready to begin the second half of 2012 after some mild roster tailoring.
The glaring difference for now is the lack of Dillon Gee after the discovery of a blood clot which has him sentenced to shoulder surgery which could potentially end his season. Lefty reliever Josh Edgin has entered the fray however.
The Mets were also well-represented at the All-Star game with a scoreless inning from R.A. Dickey and some appearances from David Wright and Terry Collins.
But now the Mets must look forward and consider some new bullpen options and right-handed hitting options on the trade front.
First things first however, as the Mets will be challenged by the Braves in Atlanta. A series win here would push them back into second place in the NL East and give them that momentum that they need to carry them back into the first place dogfight with the Washington Nationals that one NL East team has to look forward to.
Atlanta has outscored the Mets 31-27 in the season series this year. That hasn’t stopped the Mets from going 4-2 against them so far.
Chris Young draws the Braves for the first time this year against Tim Hudson.
Lineups
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New York Mets
1) Ruben Tejada SS
2) Daniel Murphy 2B 3) David Wright 3B 4) Ike Davis 1B 5) Lucas Duda RF 6) Scott Hairston LF 7) Kirk Nieuwenhuis CF 8 ) Josh Thole C 9) Chris Young RHP |
Atlanta Braves
1) Michael Bourn CF
2) Martin Prado LF 3) Jason Heyward RF 4) Chipper Jones 3B 5) Freddie Freeman 1B 6) Dan Uggla 2B 7) David Ross C 8 ) Jack Wilson SS 9) Tim Hudson RHP |
Matchup
NYM: Chris Young (2-2, 3.41 ERA) Unless you are referring to the Diamondbacks outfielder, there are no faults you can find in Chris Young’s game this year. Even if you’re the nit-picky, you are aware that he has strung together four quality starts and has yet to allow more than three runs in a game after six starts already. The pessimist knows that the iffy start he could be due for must be on the horizon somewhere, but Young is healthy and is pitching a brand of baseball right now based on control and consistency. He’s not out there to blow his arm right now. He’s hitting his spots, and its worked so far.
ATL: Tim Hudson (7-4, 3.56 ERA) The perennial resilience that Tim Hudson demonstrates is scary good. This is a guy that has pitched roughly 12 complete seasons in baseball and has seen his yearly ERA rise above four only twice in his career. He’s chasing 200 wins, currently at 188, and boasts a career ERA of 3.41. The fact that he is a serious threat at age 36 and still has years left in him is all you need to know about Hudson. It only doesn’t hurt his resume that he has beaten the Mets 15 times his career. That is the most times he has beaten any single opponent.
Stache Keys to the Game
- This game will start and end with Chris Young. I wouldn’t expect a complete game, but he’s on a consistency kick, and with the right amount of run support, he’ll look good again.
- A win right out of the gate in the second half of the year would do wonders. Obviously.
- Let’s see continued production from guys like Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy. If the core returns to form, 2012 Mets success has only just begun.
Slated for a 7:35 PM ET start, catch the game live on SNY and WFAN 660.
