Giants, Mets conclude series with doubleheader
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants close their four-game series this afternoon with a traditional doubleheader at Citi Field.
Rainy conditions in New York made today's double-dip necessary.
Fans in attendance today could see some history, as Mets third baseman David Wright is tied with Darryl Strawberry for the most RBI in team history.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wright went hitless in four at-bats in Saturday's 5-4 New York win. He had a 10-game hitting streak stopped and remains at 733 career RBI, tied with Strawberry.
Sunday's scheduled starter, two-time NL Cy Young winner and four-time All- Star Tim Lincecum will try to stop Wright and get his first win of the season in the process. The right-hander lasted six innings against the Phillies and gave up eight hits and five runs in a loss on Monday. He's 3-1 with a 2.87 ERA in seven starts vs. the Mets.
Madison Bumgarner will go for the Giants in the second game. Bumgarner won his second straight start on Tuesday against Philadelphia, holding the Phillies to a pair of runs and seven hits in six innings to run his record to 2-1 on the year, while lowering his ERA to 3.63. He's faced the Mets twice
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dillon Gee, who threw seven solid innings in a win at Atlanta on Monday, was slated to oppose Lincecum on Sunday, but instead will face Bumgarner in the nightcap. The righty, who will make his first-ever start against San Francisco, is 1-1 on the year with a 2.92 ERA.
So, instead of Gee in game one the Mets will turn to right-hander Miguel Batista, who has pitched to a 5.40 ERA in six relief appearances. In five starts last season, he was 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA.
On Saturday in a ninth inning filled with mistakes, the Giants made the last one. The Mets blew a three-run lead in the top of the ninth when center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis failed to catch a fly ball with two outs that allowed two runs to score.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nieuwenhuis then came up with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the inning and hit a ground ball to first baseman Brandon Belt, who threw home for the force out. Buster Posey tried for the double play and the catcher's relay to first went wide of the bag, allowing Ruben Tejada to slide across with the winning run.
Posey's leg was clipped by New York's Scott Hairston coming from third on the force out and may have contributed to the poor throw. Giants manager Bruce Bochy briefly argued that Hairston was out of the baseline when he slid.
"People just put the ball in play and some crazy stuff happened," surmised Giants Belt. "That's baseball."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval went 1-for-4 with an RBI. He has hit safely in all 14 games this season, a streak that is two shy of the San Francisco club record to open a season that is held by Willie Mays, accomplished in 1960.
The Giants have won nine of their past 13 versus the Mets.