Today’s Mets Lineup vs. Justin Verlander

This afternoon the Mets face Justin Verlander, who will have 8 fielders from the Detroit Tigers standing around him and a DH from that same team hitting for him. The Mets will send this lineup to face the King and His Court:

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

If you are wondering why Pridie is starting in RF and batting second, it is because Justin Verlander has NEVER retired Pridie (though, he’s never faced him, either). Additionally, Willie Harris has returned to NY to tend to his wife, who is 5 months pregnant and going into labor. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Willie, his wife, and the baby.

What do you think — is Lucas Duda going to go ape on Verlander? If so, the confidence boost could transform Duda into a legitimate monster going forward.

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.
  1. Steve S. June 30, 2011 at 11:48 am
    I think we have to run Duda and Bay out there to see if they can provide needed power!

    They both look a lot better at the plate, overall.

  2. Joe June 30, 2011 at 3:47 pm
    Jason Pridie is something of a forgotten person of late.

    This game had “Mets loss” written all over it. Well, it’s not over yet, but Pelfrey, Verlander, long odds against sweeping particularly against a decent team (with apparently a suspect starting rotation) etc. made it a long shot.

  3. Joe June 30, 2011 at 4:51 pm
    Off Topic: “The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 MPH” by Shawn Green is getting some good press.
  4. Joe July 1, 2011 at 4:09 pm
    Sadly, the baby died.
    • Joe Janish July 1, 2011 at 11:15 pm
      Oh man that is HORRIBLE news. Very sad.