NEW YORK — The New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays will experience what it’s like to look across the field and feel as if they’re staring into a mirror for the last time this season on Sunday afternoon when the teams play the rubber game of a three-game series at Citi Field.
The Mets’ Chris Flexen (0-1
Roger Craig Jersey , 10.80 ERA) is scheduled to face the Rays’ Nathan Eovaldi (2-3, 3.92) in a battle of right-handers.
The Rays posted a 3-0 win Saturday afternoon when ace left-hander Blake Snell tossed 7 1/3 strong innings and Wilson Ramos collected two RBIs.
The Mets and Rays have combined for just nine runs in the first two games, four of which were registered when New York’s Jose Bautista hit a walk-off grand slam to lift the Mets to a 5-1 win on Friday night. The teams had just eight hits in 77 plate appearances with runners on base on Friday and Saturday.
Such struggles have become routine for the Rays and Mets, who ranked 26th and 27th in the majors in runs scored after Saturday’s game — during which Tampa Bay moved past New York.
The offensive woes have threatened to negate the strong work of both pitching staffs. The Rays (44-44) have a 2.77 ERA since May 19, when they began infusing their rotation with the “opener” in select games.
“I think that with the way we’ve pitched, we find ourselves being in a lot of ballgames
http://www.washingtonredskinsteamonline.com/deshazor-everett-jersey ,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said before Saturday’s game. “But when the bats are quiet, it just becomes really, really tough to find ways to win ballgames.”
Starting pitchers for the Mets (35-50), meanwhile, have a 2.25 ERA in the last six games and a 3.94 ERA this year. New York’s three most utilized starters — Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz — are 11-16 despite a 3.06 ERA in 51 games.
“If we win just five games of deGrom’s and Matz’s and Wheeler’s — and that’s being conservative — we’re right where we want to be
Youth Brian Allen Jersey ,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said after Saturday’s game. “And it just hasn’t happened.”
Flexen will make his first start of the season and his first appearance since June 24, when he took the loss after giving up one run in one inning as the Mets fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-7 in 11 innings. He hasn’t started in the majors since last Oct 1, when Flexen allowed six runs (five earned) in 1 1/3 innings as New York fell to the Philadelphia Phillies 11-0 in the season finale.
Eovaldi didn’t factor into the decision in his most recent start Monday, when he gave up two runs in six innings as the Rays fell to the Miami Marlins 3-2 in 10 innings. He has allowed two runs or fewer three times in seven starts this season but has surrendered at least four runs three other times.
Flexen has never faced the Rays. Eovaldi is 1-4 with a 5.01 ERA in nine career starts against the Mets.
The Detroit Lions have signed tight end Luke Willson, adding a potential starter in place of Eric Ebron, and bolstered their defensive line by adding Sylvester Williams.
Detroit addressed needs on both sides of the ball with the moves Wednesday.
Willson has 89 career catches for 1
Youth Matt Nieto Jersey ,129 yards with 11 touchdowns in 72 games, all with the Seahawks. He has 13 catches for 154 yards and one score in the playoffs, including two receptions when Seattle routed Denver in the Super Bowl four years ago.
Seattle drafted the former Rice standout in the fifth round in 2013. Wilson is from LaSalle, Ontario, which is on the banks of the Detroit River.
The Lions opened free agency by making a major move last week, cutting ties with Ebron instead of paying him $8.25 million this season.
Detroit didn't re-sign Haloti Ngata and Williams potentially fills the void.
He started 11 games and was a reserve in four games last year for the Tennessee Titans and had 20 tackles. He previously played for four seasons for the Denver Broncos
Martin Jones Jersey , who drafted him 28th overall in 2013 out of North Carolina. Williams was a key player for Denver's Super Bowl-winning team two years ago. He has 114 career tackles, including six sacks, in 59 starts and 75 games overall.
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