Here are today’s lineups in the contest between the New York Mets and Houston Astros; game time is 2:05 p.m. EST. I’m working all day and through the evening, so please post your notes about the game in the comments; my hot air will go into a postgame wrapup at some point late in the evening.

New York Mets

Ruben Tejada SS
Daniel Murphy 2B
David Wright 3B
Scott Hairston LF
Lucas Duda RF
Andres Torres CF
Ike Davis 1B
Josh Thole C
Chris Schwinden RHP

Houston Astros

Jordan Schafer CF
Jose Altuve 2B
J.D. Martinez LF
Carlos Lee 1B
Jed Lowrie SS
Brian Bogusevic RF
Chris Johnson 3B
Jason Castro C
Wandy Rodriguez LHP

I know Hairston is supposed to kill lefties but seeing him in the cleanup spot screams “mediocrity” to me. Ike Davis finally has the bat going, so why is he #7? Because it’s assumed he can’t hit a lefty like Sandy Koufax Wandy Rodriguez? Lucas Duda is hitting ahead of Ike, and he looked pretty sick (literally) the last few days — hope he’s feeling better. That’s it for my ranting, now it’s your turn. Unleash in the comments.

The Mets wrap up their thus-far disappointing series in Houston today.  It’s not a shock that they seem to be having a “let down” series after three exhausting games in Colorado.  On top of that, the flu bug is propagating its way through the Mets locker room like the trollop it is.  But the team looks to rise from the ashes today before they head off to Phoenix.

The Blogs take their Zicam:

• Adam Rubin says Terry Collins is confident in his decision to pinch hit for Jonathon Niese in the fourth inning last night.
• Daily Stache thinks it would be wrong not to sign David Wright.
• Seedlings to Stars has the Mets picking a high school pitcher in their mock draft.
• Bleacher Report brings us the tale of the tape between Kirk Nieuwenhuis and the Nats’ Bryce Harper.
• Rising Apple examines Ramon Ramirez, and wonders what we should really expect from him.
• Metstradamus reminds the Mets that they’re playing the Astros, and hopes they avoid Cooter’s bar this time around.

Take plenty of vitamin C, and perhaps some antacids – it is the Mets after all.  And this is Mets Today.

Astros 6 Mets 3

Suddenly this season is looking eerily similar to the four that preceded it: one series, they look like world beaters. The next series, they lose to a last-place team.