Get used to it.
Jose Reyes makes his highly anticipated return to Citi Field tonight as the Mets host the Marlins in the opener of an important (for April) three-game set. The Mets will send Johan Santana to the mound tonight looking to end a two-game losing streak. He’ll be opposed by Miami’s ace Josh Johnson.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game can be seen on SNY or heard, as always, on WFAN 660AM. Join the conversation on Twitter by following @dailystache or yours truly, @DevOnSports.
The return of Reyes is the main course on a night with plenty of subplots. After dropping both games of a doubleheader on Monday, the Mets enter Tuesday’s game in danger of dropping below .500 for the first time this season. A strong start for the Mets has given way to mediocrity in the form of some ugly lines from starting pitchers. But with another division rival in town, New York has a chance to get right back on track.
One of tonight’s many subplots will be the performance of Santana, who just didn’t have it last Tuesday in Atlanta. Santana’s nightmare in ATL started a string of five losses in six games for the Metropolitans as they tumbled back to .500. The saying used to be: “As Reyes goes, so do the Mets.” Seems that this year it might just be: “As Santana goes, so do the Mets.”
***Prior to today’s game, Jason Bay was placed on the disabled list with a fractured rib. The Mets called up third base prospect Zach Lutz to fill the roster spot. Bay is replaced in the lineup tonight by Mike Baxter***
Mets Lineup:
Nieuwenhuis - Tejada - Murphy - Wright - Duda - Davis - Baxter - Thole - Santana
Stache Fact: Murphy is red-hot with hits in five of his last six games. He’s 10-of-24 with two walks and 3 RBI over that stretch.
Marlins Lineup:
Reyes - Bonifacio - Ramirez - Morrison - Infante - Stanton -Sanchez - Buck - Johnson
Stache Fact: Despite being on his team for the last four years and the AL before that, Santana has faced Reyes before. Jose went 1-4 when Santana and the Twins visited Shea Stadium back in 2007.
Pitching Matchup:
NYM: Johan Santana (0-2, 3.97 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 13 K) – Johan will be looking to bounce back from the worst start of his career last Tuesday night in Atlanta. He went just an inning and a third, allowing four earned runs. Santana’s biggest problem in that outing was he couldn’t put batters away. He went 11 pitches with Freddie Freeman before Freeman roped a double down the left field line.
The good news coming out of that start was that Santana felt fine physically. He threw just 55 pitches and got an extra day of rest from Saturday’s rain out, so his shoulder should be plenty strong tonight. Historically Johan has owned the Marlins. He is 6-1 lifetime against the Fish with a 1.47 ERA in nine career starts (61.1 IP). Among those in tonight’s lineup only Gaby Sanchez (4-for-5 lifetime) has enjoyed success against Santana. Most notably, Hanley Ramirez is just 3-for-21 with seven strikeouts and Omar Infante is 8-for-39 with nine strikeouts.
MIA: Josh Johnson (0-2, 5.94 ERA, 2.04 WHIP, 8 K) – Josh Johnson enters tonight’s start against the Mets coming off his best start of the young season. After being knocked around by the Cardinals and Phillies in his first two starts, last Tuesday Johnson went seven innings and allowed just two earned runs on seven hits against the Cubs. It was the first outing of the season where Johnson had not given up double-digit hits. However, Johnson did walk three, so he’s allowed at least 10 baserunners in each of his first three starts.
Like Santana, Johnson is coming off shoulder issues that ended his 2011 season. Though Johnson’s issues did not require intensive surgery like Santana’s they still may still have sapped him of his best stuff. Johnson has dominated the Mets in his career and sports an 8-1 record, and 2.68 ERA against New York in 14 career starts. He’s caused particular trouble for David Wright, who is just 6-for-29 off of him with eight strikeouts. But like Santana, the question lingers whether Johnson is the pitcher he used to be and can continue that dominance tonight.
Stache Keys to the Game:
- Capitalize in Big Spots – The Mets offense was mostly dormant during Monday’s doubleheader, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. New York put 24 men on base over 18 innings but managed to drive in just three. Twenty of those 24 baserunners were left stranded and three times the Mets left the bases loaded. This speaks to a poor approach team-wide, something they must fix immediately.
- Shouldering the Load – The pitching matchup is the x-factor in tonight’s game. Both pitchers have proven capable of blanking their opponent for an entire game in the past, but neither is the pitcher he once was. Whichever one can channel his past success better may just walk a way with a W.
- Closing it out – the Mets bullpen has been a little shop of horrors lately, but on Monday they pitched seven and two-thirds scoreless innings. If Santana hands the pen a lead, they need to lock it down without incident for a change.
This Date in Mets History:
A rather uneventful day in recent team history, but in the early days, on April 24, 1965, Casey Stengal, the first ever skipper of the Mets, earned his 3,000th victory as they defeated the Giants 7-6.
April 24th birthdays include two names that inspire mixed emotions in Mets fans: Former Met Carlos Beltran turns 35 today while Met killer Chipper Jones is 40.
