Today’s Mets Lineup vs. Rangers

Here is the lineup the Mets will send to the plate against Rangers righthander Alexi Ogando:

Jose Reyes – SS
Willie Harris – DH
Carlos Beltran – RF
Daniel Murphy – 3B
Angel Pagan – CF
Lucas Duda – 1B
Josh Thole – C
Jason Pridie – LF
Ruben Tejada – 2B

Jonathon Niese will pitch for the Mets but not bat because the Mets are choosing to use a designated pinch hitter as per their option to do so when playing in the home parks of teams that play non-baseball.

As such, we will get to see Willie Harris in the designated pinch-hitter role. This should make for a more exciting game to watch because most pitchers are not very good hitters and everyone knows that more hits = more excitement.

Also, you will notice that Jason Bay is out of the lineup; this is due to a stiff neck. Additionally, Justin Turner is taking the day off because his sore thumb is bothering him.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.