New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza explained why he changed his starting lineup.
Mendoza explained the lineup in an interview ahead of Game 4 of the Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field in New York City, New York on the 18th (Korea time).
On the same day, the Mets announced the lineup of Francisco Lindor (striker), Mark Vientos (third baseman), Pete Alonso (first baseman), Brandon Nimmo (left fielder), Starling Marte (right fielder), J.D. Martinez (designated hitter), Jose Iglesias (second baseman), Harrison Bader (midfielder) and Francisco Alvarez (catcher).
Eight right-handed hitters will take the batter’s box. Jeff McNeil, who is in poor physical condition, is noteworthy that another left-handed batter Jesse Winker will also start at the bench.
In this regard, Mendoza said, “We know Yamamoto’s splitter,” explaining that the decision was made in consideration of the opponent’s starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
“Yamamoto is a much better pitcher against left-handed hitters. I knew this, so I tried to put as many right-handed hitters as possible,” he continued.
One of the changes was that Bader was replaced by Tyrone Taylor as center fielder. Mendoza said, “Taylor is a pretty good defender, but Bader is a top-rated one. Here’s a small sample, but Bader faced Yamamoto three times as good as possible. It’s only three at-bats, but I don’t think there will be a batter with a bigger sample size than Yamamoto. We only faced him once,” explaining the reason for the substitution.
The starting pitcher will be Jose Quintana. Quintana pitched well with an ERA of 0.74 in the last six games of the regular season, and pitched well with one run (non-earned) in 11 innings in two post-season appearances.
Catcher Francisco Alvarez, who was playing with Quintana on the day, said, “He is a pitcher who competes in every ball, good or bad. I think I am getting along well with him. I think this is why the results are good.” 토토사이트
Mendoza said, “It is impressive that he uses all types of pitches to target the strike zone. When he is struggling, he is paying the price by putting the ball in the strike zone, but when he is good, he is using it properly when he needs to, from breaking ball to change-up and pitch. He seems to be making full use of his pitching package. However, in order for him to show good performance, he needs to be able to put all types of pitches in the strike zone,” Quintana said of his pitching.
Behind Quintana is a well-rested bullpen session. This is the result of Tyler Megill blocking the last three innings in the previous game. “Megill can throw 90 to 100 pitches when necessary. When he finished the game yesterday, he allowed other players to come out today,” Mendoza said.
Regarding the starting pitcher for Game 5, he declined to comment, saying, “I will decide after watching today’s game.” When asked about Senga Kodaly’s possible starting pitcher for Game 5, he said, “He is one of the players to consider.” “He is playing a normal routine. I think he is in a very good condition right now. He will be ready tomorrow,” hinting that he is highly likely to take the mound.
