Somehow, the Mets managed to finish this game with less runs than the Pirates. I’m not sure how, because R.A. Dickey pitched well, James McDonald was borderline terrible, the Mets were hitting, and the Pirates weren’t.
In short: what the heck happened?
Here is the lineup the New York Mets will send to the plate against Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher James McDonald:
Jose Reyes – SS
Ruben Tejada – 2B
Carlos Beltran – RF
Daniel Murphy – 3B
Angel Pagan – CF
Jason Bay – LF
Lucas Duda – 1B
Ronny Paulino – C
R.A. Dickey – RHP
Interesting to see Ruben Tejada in the #2 spot. Also interesting to see the corner infield spots manned by Lucas Duda at 1B and Dan Murphy at 3B. Why is on-fire Angel Pagan so far down? Why is he not getting a guaranteed at-bat in the first inning? I know there are people who think there actually is something to the thought that you want good hitters around when the table setters are on base, but it really doesn’t follow any logic whatsoever. The best hitters should get the most chances to hit — that’s it. After that, apply whatever insanity you want.
NOTE: this is a post by Kyle Schnitzer. Enjoy.
In the future, I will be doing these more in-depth. As you will notice, I am missing Double-A Binghamton. I did it on purpose because no one on the team was really have a “great week”. Their pitching struggled, as did their hitting. I look forward to future columns with you guys.
Triple-A Buffalo Hitter: Lucas Duda, OF
Lucas Duda, who has seen brief time in the majors, has found his way back to the top after a promotion last night. Duda has been ripping the cover off the ball in Triple-A Buffalo, batting .400 the past week. Duda also belted 3 homeruns while netting 7 RBI. In 38 games, Duda’s combined line: .302/.414/.597.
With Jason Bay struggling and now benched, Duda could not have a better opportunity to showcase himself and prove to the organization that he belongs here.
High Class A St. Lucie Batter: Matt Den Dekker, OF
In the beginning of the season, Den Dekker was ripping apart High-A. But since coming into May, Den Dekker has
