The Mets kick off the final regular season homestand at Shea Stadium tonight as they take on the NL Central 2008 Champions, the Chicago Cubs. Emotions will be on a high this week between the the Wild Card and Division races as the Mets try to hold onto the postseason, the looming end of Shea Stadium is also near, and it is sure to be a week that will bring out memories of fond times at our once gray and now blue home. Tonight's matchup pits Jason Marquis against Jon Niese.
Marquis, 10-9, has a 4.39 ERA this year and has been good. He has been what he was expected to be for the Cubs. His past five starts he has been better than good with a 2-2 record and a 3.19 ERA while throwing 16 walks and 19 K's. He hasn't face the Mets this season but faced them twice last year with an 0-1 record, and 9 earned runs over 10.1 innings (7.84 ERA). The Mets will hope to capitalize on their past success:
Castillo 9-22, 2B, 3 BB
Reyes 7-24
Wright 6-20, HR
Beltran 2-17, HR
Delgado 5-9, 2B, HR
Schneider 1-17
The trend suggests that the Mets in their past have been able to see the ball really well off of him, or don't have a clue on how to hit him. All the Mets have to do is buckle down, get those runs, and keep the pressure off of the bullpen.
Niese, off of an amazing start, will be taking the mound for the Mets again. His debut was very shaky, 3 innings, 7 hits, 5 ER, 4 BB and 2 K and it was against the Brewers. He got his nerves out and pitched 8 shutout innings, 6 hits, 2 BB, and 7 K's at Shea Stadium against the Braves last week. Lets hope the home field continues to help him out as he takes on the Braves tonight. Niese, if you are unfamiliar with him, is very young, 21, and throws a great curveball that really breaks. He will be facing one of the toughest, if not the toughest, lineups tonight, so it should be interesting to watch as he handles them. When he pitches, even in a pennant race, thoughts of next spring and next year go through the mind. What will his future bring? First, lets hope for a win against the Cubs. Lets Go Mets!
