June 2: Mets (28-22) @ Pirates (23-28)
Here’s to hoping that this game lives up to its potential. We’ve got two of the three National League’s best lefties going at it tonight. Mets’ Johan Santana leads all lefties with a 1.71 ERA this season. Zach Duke is third with a 2.75 mark.
Let’s build up Santana’s season resume just a little bit more while we have some time…
- He’s allowed three or more runs only twice in 10 starts this year. He’s allowed no runs twice that many times.
- No one has yet to steal a base off the left-hander.
- Batters might as well not hit with runners in scoring position. This year, 51 hitters have come to plate with a runner in scoring position. Only four have gotten hits. And all four hits? Yes, singles.
Those who have followed the Pirates know exactly what Duke has done, which has been just about everything but get wins. Fifteen innings and four earned runs allowed in his last two starts resulted in an 0-1 record. That’s an injustice. Still, he ended May with just 14 runs allowed in six starts. He went at least seven innings in five of those six starts and has done so in all but three of his 10 outings this year.
All that said, too bad most of Pittsburgh is going to be preoccupied with that little event going on at Mellon Arena tonight.
Pirates lineup:
- Nyjer Morgan (LF)
- Freddy Sanchez (2B)
- Nate McLouth (CF)
- Adam LaRoche (1B)
- Andy LaRoche (3B)
- Brandon Moss (RF)
- Jason Jaramillo (C)
- Jack Wilson (SS)
- Zach Duke (LHP)
Mets lineup:
- Luis Castillo (2B)
- Fernando Martinez (LF)
- David Wright (3B)
- Gary Sheffield (RF)
- Fernando Tatis (1B)
- Omir Santos (C)
- Ramon Martinez (SS)
- Jeremy Reed (CF)
- Johan Santana (LHP)
By Gosh, It's Langosch 