Pittsburgh Pirates Vs. New York Mets Game 41 Preview
By Larry Snyder
After an off day Thursday, the Pittsburgh Pirates sail back into action this evening against the New York Mets at PNC Park. The Bucs are 2-2 against teams from the National League Eastern Division so far this season.
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The crew of the Jolly Roger was swept this week in their two-game series with the Minnesota Twins. The Pirates at 18-22 are tied with the Cincinnati Reds for third place in the NL Central Division. The longtime rivals are eight 1/2 games behind the first place St. Louis Cardinals (27-14). Pittsburgh has put together a 9-9 record at home and are 9-13 on the road.
“We do some things well. We’ve got to do some things well consistently,” Clint Hurdle said on the team’s web site. “The game has let us know where we need to improve, what we have done well, what we need to do better.”
The Boys from Flushing (24-18) are in second place in the NL East, just half-a-game back of the Washington Nationals. They are 17-6 at home and 7-12 on the road. The Mets are 4-7 against the NL Central this season. Terry Collins’ squad is coming off a 5-0 victory at home Thursday over the St. Louis Cardinals.
When: Friday, May 22
First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
Site: PNC Park
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
Television Coverage: ROOT Sports Network
Radio Coverage: KDKA-FM 93.7 – The Fan
Announcers: Greg Brown, Tim Neverett, Bob Walk, Steve Blass, and John Wehner
Live (Pay) Streaming: MLB.TV
Pittsburgh Pirates
Online Highlights: Pirates Video
Sirius XM Satellite Radio: XM Channel 184, XM Internet 861
All-Star Vote: 2015 Bucs Ballot
Odds: Pirates -1.5 According To OddsShark.com with the Over/Under at 7.
Weather Forecast: According to the Weather Channel, the forecast is calling for mainly clear skies with winds out of the north/northwest at 10 to 15 mph. The low Friday night is expected to be 40. Chance of rain is 0%.
Starting Pitchers: The Mets will go with Noah Syndergaard (1-1, 3.18 ERA/1.24 WHIP). The 6-foot-6, 240-pound righthander collected his first Major League victory in his Citi Field debut Sunday, May 17 when New York downed the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1. The Mansfield, Texas native allowed one earned run on three hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Hurdle will send Gerrit Cole (5-2, 2.40 ERA/1.15 WHIP) to the hill. The 24-year-old will be making his ninth start of the season. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound righthander is 0-2 with a 8.00 ERA in two career starts against the New York Mets.
5/22 @Pirates lineup vs NYM
— MLB Replays (@MLBReplays) May 22, 2015
Harrison 3B
Walker 2B
McCutchen CF
Marte LF
Kang SS
Alvarez 1B
Polanco RF
Stewart C
Cole P
5/22 @Mets lineup vs PIT
— MLB Replays (@MLBReplays) May 22, 2015
Granderson RF
Campbell 3B
Duda 1B
Cuddyer LF
Murphy 2B
Flores SS
Lagares CF
Plawecki C
Syndergaard P
Next Matchup: The Pirates and Mets play the middle game of their three-game set Saturday at PNC Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. New York will hand the ball to righthander Matt Harvey (5-1, 1.98 ERA/0.91 WHIP) while the Bucs will counter with righthander A.J. Burnett (3-1, 1.38 ERA/1.15 WHIP). The contest will be on ROOT Sports Pittsburgh.
Beyond The Scoreboard: Pittsburgh relievers have thrown 16 innings in the last three games…The Pirates are third in the NL in striking out opponents with 7.8 per contest…Righthander Charlie Morton made his third rehab start Tuesday and struck out nine batters while giving up two hits and two runs in six 1/3 innings of work with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. He is on the disabled list recovering from right hip surgery, performed Sept. 26, 2014.
Next: Pitt's return to relevance runs through the WPIAL