Tonight at 7 pm the Mets face the Marlins in their second game of 3 at CitiField, with John Maine taking the hill against Ricky Nolasco. Tonight's game will be a big one, if for no other reason than we'll start to get an idea of what the rest of the rotation and bullpen are capable of...
If Maine can establish himself as consistent, not even good, just consistent, that will go a long way for the Mets. If Maine shows that he's over his shoulder issues and can be consistent on the hill that will go a long way in answering questions about this team's ability to contend. Even if Maine only throws 6 innings a start and can keep the Mets in the game, that would be a nice lift for this team. The fans need to know what we're getting on a night-to-night basis from pitchers not named Santana or Rodriguez, which brings me to my next point...
Tonight the bullpen will have to do work. Nolasco is not going to get ripped tonight, as he's been borderline unhittable this spring. Once Maine is out, assuming the Mets have kept the game close, the bullpen will get it's first real test of the season. Now the question becomes whether or not they can handle it. On paper it's not a great 'pen, with a real mix of young/old with both starters and relievers by trade mixed in there. Should be interesting...
At the least, tonight we should find out exactly what this team is capable of this season. With Maine on the hill and facing a very talented pitcher in Nolasco, the Mets will be forced to pitch, field and hit well in order to win tonight. And now the grind begins...
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"At the least, tonight we should find out exactly what this team is capable of this season."
ReplyDeleteReally? Tonight is going to be no more telling than the remaining 161 games. Give me a break with this crap. Have you never observed a baseball season before?
Yeah, and I've played a few myself. It's called a microcosm, an analogous situation.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I understand that there are a ton of games left in the season (160 after tonight, o be precise) and pitchers WILL have up and down outings. But having a consistent start to the season from the rotation (not Santana), to a fan would be telling that this year won't be as awful as some people think it will be.
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