The Mets will try to put yesterday behind them and take back the east today as the Mets send their ace to the mound to battle Kyle Kendrick. Santana has been on fire this month as he has a 3-0 record over 5 games and 36.1 innings. During this time he has posted a Doc Gooden good 1.44 ERA. For the entire season, he is 12-7 over 184.0 innings has a 2.64 ERA and has struck out 153 batters. One of the best stat lines I have seen all day is Santana vs the Phils this year. In three games he is 1-0 over 23 innings, has a 2.74 ERA, has walked no one and has struck out 20 batters. Here are some Philly batters against Santana:
Feliz 1-13, 4 K
Burrell 4-11, 2B, 2 K
Rollins 0-11
Utley 2-11
Howard 3-10
Santana has Rollins number this year, which is great because last night, Rollins had the Mets number. Tonight's game is why we have an ace. We have an ace to get us back into first, to give us a dazzling start when we need it most. He has done it already this year, and he brings his 16 inning scoreless streak into Philly tonight.
To win the Mets will have to remeber how to score. They were pretty good with scoring until the fifth inning yesterday. From the fifth to the 13th the bats went silent in key situations. The Mets will have to figure out Kendrick (11-7, 4.87) tonight. In August he is 2-2 over 3 games where he has pitched 18.2 innings, walked 15, struck out 9 and has had and ERA of 6.75. His ERA against the Mets this year over two games looks amazing, but does not tell a full story. Against the Mets he is 0-1 in 8.1 inning, with an ERA of 2.16. He has allowed only 2 earned runs against the Mets this year but has allowed a total of 8 runs (so 6 unearned). He has walked 9 Mets over those 8.1 innings and has only struck out 2. Here are some Mets stats against him:
Church 4-8, HR, 3 BB
Schneider 3-8, 2B, 3 BB
Reyes 3-8, 2B, 2 BB
Beltran 1-7, HR
Delgado 4-7, 2 2B, HR, BB
The key for the Mets tonight is to not get impatient at the plate. When you have to prove yourself, or feel like you need to make up for something, you swing freely. Kendrick will walk players. So, to win tonight, wait at the plate, make Kendrick throw strikes, walk, get on base, start to steal, make things uneasy, then hit the ball. Thats the key for tonight.
Lets Go Mets! Lets get back in first!
