7/23/18 Game Preview: San Diego Padres at New York Mets

The New York Mets (40-56) can’t wait to play another baseball game. After rain wiped out the Subway Series finale last night, the Mets woke up this morning to headlines recapping how absurdly bad their weekend was, with everything from the miscommunication over Yoenis Cespedes’ health and Noah Syndergaard’s DL trip for hand, foot, and mouth disease making the franchise look like a joke. The Mets will look to turn the focus back to baseball tonight, when they begin a brief three game home stand with the San Diego Padres (41-61). First pitch for the opener is scheduled for 7:10 pm at Citi Field.

The Mets will send their ace, righty Jacob deGrom (5-4, 1.68 ERA) to the mound tonight after his scheduled start last night was postponed. deGrom dominated in his final start of the first half on July 11th, holding the Philadelphia Phillies scoreless for eight innings, but walked away with another no decision when the Mets couldn’t give him a single run of support. The Mets were able to walk off with a win in that game in 10 innings. The Padres will counter with rookie right hander Eric Lauer (5-6, 4.87 ERA). Lauer was whacked by the Chicago Cubs on July 15th, giving up five runs in two innings to suffer his sixth loss of the year.

Local Coverage:

Television: SNY

Radio: WOR

New York Mets Lineup:

1. SS Amed Rosario
2. 2B Asdrubal Cabrera
3. 1B Wilmer Flores
4. RF Jose Bautista
5. LF Michael Conforto
6. C Devin Mesoraco
7. CF Brandon Nimmo
8. 3B Jose Reyes
9. SP Jacob deGrom

Pre-Game Notes:

• The Mets won two out of three against the Padres in San Diego in late April, one of only two series the team has won since starting the season 12-2.
• The Padres won two out of three over the Mets at Citi Field last season.
• deGrom faced the Padres in San Diego on April 27th, tossing 7.1 shutout innings to earn his third win of the year.
• Lauer has never faced the Mets before.
• With concerns about field conditions due to a ton of rain in the area, the Mets will hold Yoenis Cespedes out of the lineup today.
• The Mets are shuffling their lineup today, bumping up Amed Rosario to the leadoff spot and batting the scuffling Brandon Nimmo seventh.