8/21/2019 Game Preview: Cleveland Indians at New York Mets

Paul Sewald

The Mets are starting a new little winning streak. It’s legitimate now since the Mets beat the Indians after beating the Royals two straight. They’ll send Marcus Stroman to the mound to try to extend the winning streak and win the series against the Cleveland Indians. It’s a 7:10 start at Citi Field so plan accordingly.

8/21/2019 Game Preview: Cleveland Indians at New York Mets
Marcus Stroman hits the hill against the Indians tonight (Metstradamus)

How To Enjoy

Hey, Gare is back! And we can safely assume that it’s Gare for the rest of the season as tonight’s game will feature Gary Cohen and some combination of Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling on SNY. On the radio side, it’s WCBS 880 (Howie is back too!) and ESPN Deportes 1050. If you’re in Cleveland, you can find the game on Sports Time Ohio on television and WTAM 1100 and WMMS 100.7 via the Indians Radio Network. If you’re in neither of these cities, you can find the game on MLB Network.

The Pitchers

Marcus Stroman went five and 1/3 in his last start as the Braves ran up his pitch count in Atlanta. But he only gave up two earned runs and saw his ERA go slightly up from 3.20 to 3.21.

8/21/2019 Game Preview: Cleveland Indians at New York Mets
Jul 15, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Adam Plutko (45) delivers against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Plutko (pronounced PLET-ko in case there’s a pop quiz later) didn’t have to worry about run support in his last start against the Yankees. He had a 9-1 lead in the second inning and an 11-1 lead in the fourth in Yankee Stadium as he cruised through six innings in a 19-5 victory. Plutko has gotten his walks down from 2.7 BB/9 in 2018 to 1.4 BB/9 in 2019. His problem has been the long ball, as he’s given up 2.4 HR/9 in his career.

The Lineups

Same starting eight as Tuesday.

And for the Tribe:

The Indians’ formatting is a little goofy in this space, so for quick reference:

  • SS Lindor
  • CF Allen
  • 1B Santana
  • RF Puig
  • 3B Ramirez
  • 2B Kipnis
  • C Perez
  • LF Naquin
  • P Plutko

Similar lineup to Tuesday, Greg Allen moves up in the lineup and Tyler Naquin bats eighth and plays left.

Game Notes

  • Since Jeff McNeil’s injury, Amed Rosario has moved to the leadoff spot and has hit .571 with 16 hits in 28 at bats. His OPS in that stretch is 1.363.
  • From June 14th through the last weekend’s Yankees series, Jose Ramirez is hitting .315 with 16 HR’s and an OPS of 1.014 in 238 plate appearances. But in his career, he’s only hitting .217 … five singles in 23 at-bats … vs. Stroman in his career.
  • Ruben Tejada has the fifth most hits in Citi Field history.
  • I just wanted to reiterate that Amed Rosario is batting .571 in his last six games because who does this??? Five-seventy-one!!! (His average for the season is up to .293 for the season.)
  • Rajai Davis has a .300 career average against the Indians in 210 career at-bats (not including his double last night.)
  • Plutko has a 1.58 WHIP in 61 and 1/3 innings on the road in his career, as opposed to a 1.06 WHIP at home in 90 and 1/3 innings.
Arrow to top