MIAMI — Last season, the Mets hit .246 towards left-handed pitching. It was neither good nor dangerous, it was precisely within the center, the Fifteenth-best mark within the league. Or the Fifteenth-worst mark, in the event you’re extra of a glass-half-empty kind of particular person. The .717 OPS was additionally towards the underside half of the league.
The struggles towards southpaw pitching had been well-documented final season and alarm bells sounded another time this weekend after the Mets managed solely two hits off Miami Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo on Friday evening in a 2-1 loss to the Miami Marlins at loanDeport Park. They answered some questions over the weekend with two wins towards lefties, however this explicit storyline is perhaps one which follows the Mets by the early a part of the season if the pattern continues.
The Mets possess a really balanced lineup however the 2023 lineup is sort of an identical to the 2022 lineup. The membership made just a few tweaks to attempt to fight this drawback. Right-handed DH Darin Ruf is now not on the Major League roster and the membership signed Tommy Pham in January to hit lefties. It’s going to be a take a look at for the Mets within the coming days, with Wade Miley is slated to start out for the Brewers in Milwaukee on Tuesday and Luzardo once more at Citi Field subsequent weekend.
There might be plenty of give attention to Pham, who had an enormous day on the plate Sunday within the Mets’ 5-1 win over the Miami Marlins, going 3-for-4 with a homer, three RBI, a run scored, a stroll and a stolen base. Pham didn’t have spectacular numbers on the plate throughout spring coaching, however an adjustment made to his contact lenses whereas in Miami this weekend helped him see the ball a lot better than he did throughout the Grapefruit League season.
Pham suffers from a watch situation known as keratoconus, which is a thinning of the cornea. The cornea can get so skinny that it bulges outward right into a cone form and causes blurred imaginative and prescient. He was recognized in 2008 and underwent a process to cease the degeneration.
“I’m the guinea pig in the big leagues for my eye condition,” Pham mentioned. “But for the most part, we’ve had it under control.”
Contact lenses assist hold the situation below management.
“It’s complicated,” Pham mentioned. “I saw a doctor in Iowa, she created some lenses for me and they’re great. This is probably the best I’ve seen on defense in years, but they still needed a little fine-tuning. The doctor here fine tuned them for me.”
The Mets must deal with some prime left-handers within the division. They’ll see Luzardo and Trevor Rogers loads of occasions this season. The Atlanta Braves have Max Fried and Jared Shuster and the Philadelphia Phillies have Ranger Suarez, Matt Strahm and Bailey Falter within the rotation and Gregory Soto and Jose Alvarado within the bullpen.
If Pham can proceed hitting lefties arduous as a reserve outfielder then possibly the story will go away.
COMING UP EMPTY
Eduardo Escobar won’t be within the lineup Monday when the Mets face the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. The Mets plan to maneuver some place gamers round to maintain them contemporary throughout a tricky month, however the time without work may come at time for the third baseman, who’s 1-for-16 with seven strikeouts to start out the season.
To make issues worse, Brett Baty is off to a sizzling begin with Triple-A Syracuse, hitting .357 with a 1.257 OPS and two house runs, which could put somewhat strain on the vet.
Manager Buck Showalter mentioned Escobar’s lack of manufacturing is nothing to be involved about because it’s a small pattern measurement.
“Four games into the season, I think everybody is trying to find their way a little bit and get their footing,” Showalter mentioned.
SENSATIONAL SENGA
Kodai Senga joined Masato Yoshii as the one different Japanese-born pitcher to make his MLB debut in his Mets debut. Yoshii earned the win April 5, 1998, towards the Pittsburgh Pirates with seven shutout innings. He grew to become the sixty fourth pitcher in membership historical past to make his MLB debut with the Mets.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com