Mets at Indians
The New York Mets look to build off a rare offensive outburst this season when they visit the Cleveland Indians for the middle contest of a three-game set on Saturday. The Mets came into Friday’s series opener batting a league-worst .194 and standing 29th in the majors in runs scored before blasting four homers among 14 hits and holding on for a 6-5 victory.
Slugger Yoenis Cespedes led the hit brigade for New York with a single, a double and a homer to extend his hitting streak against the Indians to nine games. Scheduled starter Matt Harvey will try to gain his first victory of the season and get the Mets back to .500 when he faces a Cleveland squad which also posted 14 hits on Friday. The Indians, who have split eight games to start the campaign, left 13 on base in the series opener – including two when Jeurys Familia retired the final batter. Cleveland’s Jason Kipnis had three hits Friday and is 9-for-25 since going 0-for-4 in the first game of the season.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, WPIX (New York), SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Matt Harvey (0-2, 4.63 ERA) vs. Indians RH Josh Tomlin (2015: 7-2, 3.02)
Harvey has lost three straight regular-season starts dating back to last season, and has been ordinary in his first two turns of 2016. The 27-year-old Connecticut native allowed three runs and six hits in six innings last time out against Philadelphia and owns just five strikeouts in 11 2/3 frames overall. Juan Uribe, who spent half of last season with the Mets, is 2-for-6 in his career against Harvey.
Tomlin makes his first appearance of the season as the team’s fifth starter after a solid 2015 campaign which included a 4-1 record and 2.65 ERA at home. The 31-year-old control pitcher struck out 57 in 65 2/3 innings last season with just eight walks and limited left-handed batters to a .156 average. Alejandro De Aza is 3-for-11 with a homer against Tomlin, who has never faced the Mets.
WALK-OFFS
1. De Aza registered his first three hits for his new team, including a homer on Friday.
2. Cleveland 1B-DH Carlos Santana boasts eight RBIs in the first eight contests of the season after hitting a two-run blast in the series opener.
3. Mets RHP Jacob deGrom (lat muscle) is expected to throw again this weekend and if everything goes well he could make his next start Tuesday at Philadelphia.