TIME TO HIT RESTART
After wasted weekend in Washington, Mets begin season for real tonight in Philly
Let’s try this again.
The Mets, after having their season start pushed back because of a coronavirus outbreak within the Nationals, will begin 2021 against the Phillies tonight. The outbreak and the impact on their schedule because of COVID has reminded the Mets of the importance of following health and safety guidelines.
They had an extra few days of spring training because of the postponed series, which did affect their energy — particularly on Friday, when they received official work they would not start the year against the Nationals at all. By Sunday, though, Luis Rojas said the team was back in high gear.
“Today you can feel the excitement, ‘okay we’re playing tomorrow,’” the Mets manager said. “We’re traveling to Philly. It’s gonna be like a three-hour bus ride there, but you feel that the guys have that excitement growing again. So we have a short practice and it’ll be Opening Day.”
It won’t be the celebrated Opening Day every other team got. They won’t be lined up along the third-base line and there won’t be the traditional fanfare, but it’s game 1 of 162 with fans and the players have been champing at the bit.
“We felt like we were ready when we were supposed to be out there playing,” Michael Conforto said Sunday. “We were just saying today would have been a beautiful day, Easter Sunday.
You know it’s nice and warm out there, as opposed to last couple days out here. It’s tough watching other teams play, but it’s in the past. There’s no sense in lingering on it.”
Jacob deGrom will take the mound against Phillies lefty Matt Moore. Not exactly the hyped up ace showdown that would have been if they faced Max Scherzer on Thursday, but that doesn’t mean Moore should be counted out.
“You can’t stop and think of it like, ‘we got out of that one,’”
Rojas said of the matchup. “I don’t think the guys think that way. I don’t think that way. We’re gonna go against several starters this year, all good starters, and you just can’t think more of one than others because you just got to get prepared your best.
“The Phillies are deep in their rotation,” he continued. “They have all great pitchers and our division is really tough already, so why make it tough on ourselves even more thinking that, you know, we’re going to have it easier this way than others.”
Moore, 31, spent last year playing in Japan and went 6-3 with a 2.65 ERA in 15 starts. He spent nine years before that with the Tigers, Rangers, Giants and Rays.
“Whoever it is, will be ready and we’ll give it 100% out there,” Conforto said of beginning the season against Matt Moore and not Scherzer.
Lefty Brandon Nimmo will likely lead off, though Rojas could also go to lefty Jeff McNeil or righty Kevin Pillar, followed by Francisco Lindor, who will typically be No. 2 in the lineup through the season, per Rojas.
“Lefty the out of the gate, knowing that we have some good lefty hitters in the lineup,” Rojas said, “but right now with a platoon-based team, you may see, maybe a couple more righties in the lineup than we usually see against a righty, so we feel ready to go start against him.”
The Mets return Flushing to face the Marlins on April 8 for their home opener, where they will get all the pomp and circumstance of a proper Opening Day.