National League Preview from The Sports Network
Monday, April 23rd
(All times Eastern)
San Francisco Giants (7-7) at New York Mets (8-6), 4:10 & 7:40 p.m.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Game One: San Francisco - Tim Lincecum (0-2,10.54)
New York - Miguel Batista (0-0,5.40)
Game Two: San Francisco - Madison Bumgarner (2-1,
3.63)
New York - Dillon Gee (1-1, 2.92)
(Sports Network) - The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants close their
four-game series this afternoon with a traditional doubleheader at Citi Field.
Rainy conditions in New York made today's double-dip necessary.
Fans in attendance today could see some history, as Mets third baseman David
Wright is tied with Darryl Strawberry for the most RBI in team history.
Wright went hitless in four at-bats in Saturday's 5-4 New York win. He had a
10-game hitting streak stopped and remains at 733 career RBI, tied with
Strawberry.
Sunday's scheduled starter, two-time NL Cy Young winner and four-time All-
Star Tim Lincecum will try to stop Wright and get his first win of the season
in the process. The right-hander lasted six innings against the Phillies and
gave up eight hits and five runs in a loss on Monday. He's 3-1 with a 2.87 ERA
in seven starts vs. the Mets.
Madison Bumgarner will go for the Giants in the second game. Bumgarner won his
second straight start on Tuesday against Philadelphia, holding the Phillies to
a pair of runs and seven hits in six innings to run his record to 2-1 on the
year, while lowering his ERA to 3.63. He's faced the Mets twice
Dillon Gee, who threw seven solid innings in a win at Atlanta on Monday, was
slated to oppose Lincecum on Sunday, but instead will face Bumgarner in the
nightcap. The righty, who will make his first-ever start against San
Francisco, is 1-1 on the year with a 2.92 ERA.
So, instead of Gee in game one the Mets will turn to right-hander Miguel
Batista, who has pitched to a 5.40 ERA in six relief appearances. In five
starts last season, he was 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA.
On Saturday in a ninth inning filled with mistakes, the Giants made the last
one. The Mets blew a three-run lead in the top of the ninth when center
fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis failed to catch a fly ball with two outs that allowed
two runs to score.
Nieuwenhuis then came up with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of
the inning and hit a ground ball to first baseman Brandon Belt, who threw home
for the force out. Buster Posey tried for the double play and the catcher's
relay to first went wide of the bag, allowing Ruben Tejada to slide across
with the winning run.
Posey's leg was clipped by New York's Scott Hairston coming from third on the
force out and may have contributed to the poor throw. Giants manager Bruce
Bochy briefly argued that Hairston was out of the baseline when he slid.
"People just put the ball in play and some crazy stuff happened," surmised
Giants Belt. "That's baseball."
Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval went 1-for-4 with an RBI. He has hit
safely in all 14 games this season, a streak that is two shy of the San
Francisco club record to open a season that is held by Willie Mays,
accomplished in 1960.
The Giants have won nine of their past 13 versus the Mets.
04/23 10:57:19 ET

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