After an eventful Tuesday game in which Tim Tebow hit his first spring training home run and J.D. Davis hurt his shoulder on a diving catch, the New York Mets will play the Houston Astros at 1:10 PM ET.
The game will mark the first time the two teams face off this spring after the Astros were punished for sign-stealing in the 2017 season. The Mets, who appointed Carlos Beltran over the winter to be their skipper, had to part ways with him because of his role in the scheme back when he played in Houston that year.
The Mets will send Noah Syndergaard to the mound. The righty is determined to improve upon his 2019 season. Last year, he had a 4.28 ERA, but it came with a much better 3.60 FIP. As his track record suggests, Thor can be much better than that.
According to manager Luis Rojas (who took over Beltran a few weeks ago) his slider is showing more bite this season.
For the game, Jeff McNeil will play third base and lead off, with center fielder Brandon Nimmo as the second hitter. Pete Alonso, who hit 53 home runs in 2019 and was tagged as the Rookie of the Year in the National League, will hit third today. Michael Conforto will occupy the leadoff spot.
Here is the full lineup:
Jeff McNeil 3B
Brandon Nimmo CF
Pete Alonso 1B
Michael Conforto RF
Wilson Ramos C
Amed Rosario SS
Dominic Smith LF
Eduardo Núñez DH
Luis Guillorme 2B
Noah Syndergaard RHP
The Mets want Ramos and Thor to patch things up
One of the biggest storylines to watch for the New York Mets this spring is the development of the Wilson Ramos – Noah Syndergaard catcher-pitcher tandem. Last season, Thor openly said that he preferred to pitch to Tomas Nido or Rene Rivera.
Luis Rojas wants the starting catcher and Syndergaard to iron out the little issues that make the latter think like that. Ramos, for his part, has said recently that he wasn’t mad about Syndergaard’s comments and that intends to put any potential controversies behind him.