Mets vs. Rockies Preview: Game #123 — Chris Young vs. Jhoulys Chacin

Today's game notes, courtesy of @Mets.

Teams: Mets vs. Rockies
Date: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 • 7:10 p.m
Location: Citi Field • Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (0-3, 7.30) vs. RHP Chris Young (3-6, 4.50)
TV/Radio: SNY • WFAN • WQBU
Info: Game #123 • Home Game #60

Lineup

Mike Baxter – RF
Ruben Tejada – SS
Ike Davis – 1B
David Wright – 3B
Daniel Murphy – 2B
Jordany Valdespin – LF
Andres Torres – CF
Josh Thole – C
Chris Young – RHP

METS AT A GLANCE: New York is 2-5 in its last seven games and 5-11 over its last 16 contests...New York is 3-7 in its last 10 games...The Mets are 11-25 since the All-Star break (2-11 at home)...New York is 7-11 this month...The Mets have lost five straight home games to the Rockies dating back to 2011.

ROSTER MOVES: The Mets recalled left-handed pitcher Robert Carson from Buffalo (AAA) of the International League and placed RHP Jeremy Hefner on the Paternity Leave List...Hefner and his wife, Sarah, are expecting the couple’s second child...Carson will wear #73 and will be available for tonight’s game...He was 0-0 with one save and a 1.72 ERA (three earned runs/15.2 innings) in 10 games with the Bisons...He allowed 16 hits, issued six walks and notched 15 strikeouts with Buffalo ...Carson was 1-2 with nine saves and a 4.79 ERA (19 earned runs/35.2 innings) in 31 games with Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League ...Carson was with the Mets from April 24-26 and May 17-25, going 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA (two earned runs/3.0 innings) in two games.

AT HOME: The Mets are 28-31 at home this year...New York has lost 11 of its last 13 home games and have lost five home series in a row...The Mets last won a series at home on July 3-5, when they took two of three from Philadelphia...Daniel Murphy has the fourth-best home batting average (.345) in the National League.

RUNS AT HOME: The Mets have scored 38 runs in 13 home games since the All-Streak break, an average of 2.92 per game…They have been outscored 80-38 at Citi Field since the break...The opposition is averaging 6.15 runs per game at Citi Field since the All-Star break.

FIELDING: Josh Edgin committed a fielding error last night snapping the team’s nine-game errorless streak...Since July 1, the Mets have the eighth-best fielding percentage in the majors (.986).

MIKE BAXTER: Went 2-5 with a double last night and has hit in a career-best eight straight games, going 11-30 (.367) dating back to August 9.

IKE DAVIS: Has four extra-base hits (two doubles and two home runs) and four RBI in his last five games...Davis is hitting .291 (16-55) this month with four doubles, two home runs and seven RBI...He has reached base safely in 14 of his 15 starts in August.

DAVID WRIGHT: Ranks fourth in the majors with a .412 on-base percentage and is eighth with a .320 batting average...Wright is tied for 13th in the National League with 75 RBI and eighth with 74 runs scored...He is tied for fourth in the NL with 54 extra-base hits...Needs one home run for his 200th career blast...Will join Darryl Strawberry (252) and Mike Piazza (220) as the only players in franchise history to reach the 200-home run plateau.

DOUBLES: David Wright collected his 36th double of the year last night...Wright is tied for fourth in the majors in doubles...His career-high is 42 doubles which he’s accomplished three times (2005, 2007 and 2008)...Bernard Gilkey holds the franchise record with 44 doubles in 1996...Overall, New York has 233 doubles, tied for the third-most in the majors.

RUBEN TEJADA: Has a .309 batting average as a shortstop, leading all major leaguers...Is second among shortstops with a .354 on-base percentage...Texas’ Elvin Andrus is first (.368).

STARTERS/RELIEVERS: Mets starters rank ninth in the majors with a 3.91 ERA...New York’s bullpen has the worst ERA (4.98) in the majors.

R.A. DICKEY: Went 7.0 innings and allowed one run last night...It was Dickey’s National League-leading 13th start of at least 7.0 innings with one run allowed or less...Seattle’s Felix Hernandez leads the majors with 14 such starts...Dickey recorded six strikeouts and leads the majors with 181 strikeouts...He also ranks fourth in the NL with a 2.82 ERA.

STRIKEOUTS: Mets pitchers have notched 53 strikeouts in their last seven games and rank ninth in the majors with 951 strikeouts...At the plate, the Mets have struck out 55 times in their last seven contests and are tied for eighth in the majors with 961 strikeouts.

HOME RUNS: New York has hit 29 home run since the All-Star break and has allowed 41 home runs, including one last night, since the break...The Mets have been out-homered 20-9 at home since the All-Star break... Overall, the Mets have hit 102 home runs, ranking 26th in the majors and have permitted 125, the 17th most in the majors.

RISP: The Mets went 1-5 with runners in scoring position last night and are 23-126 (.183) with RISP since August 1...The Mets are hitting .257 with RISP on the season, ranking 12th in the majors...The Mets are hitting .276 with runners in scoring position and two outs, the highest average in the majors.

TWO-OUTS: The Mets have scored 30 of their last 51 runs with two outs (61 percent)...New York is tied for the major league lead with Atlanta with 237 two-out runs...New York is hitting .266 with two outs, the third-highest average in the majors...New York’s pitching staff has permitted 217 runs with two outs, the sixth-most in the majors.

YMCA JR METS: Earlier today, Ruben Tejada and Justin Turner ran a baseball clinic at Marconi Park in Jamaica for about 50 kids from the YMCA Jr. Mets supported by Citi...The program, operated by the YMCA of Greater New York in collaboration with the Mets and Citi, is a comprehensive eight-week youth baseball program that emphasizes athletic and social skills and teaches youth how to improve health and wellness.

IKE DAVIS CHARITY EVENT: Ike Davis will host his annual charity event “A Night with Ike Davis” at City Winery in New York City on September 9 at 7 p.m...The event will benefit Solving Kids’ Cancer and the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, will feature a concert by country music star Lee Brice, a four-time Academy of Country Music nominee ...Davis lost his childhood friend, Mike Lio to Ewing’s Sarcoma at age 22 and has devoted his efforts to raise funds and awareness for cancer research.

TIM BYRDAK: Will undergo surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his left shoulder on September 5 at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

LAST START: Received a no-decision in the Mets’ 3-0 defeat at Cincinnati on August 14...Pitched 5.2 shutout innings and allowed eight hits and a season-high four walks...Struck out four...Marked the first time this season Young did not allow a run in a start...Did not record a quality start for the third time in his last four starts.

EXTRA REST: When pitching on five or more days rest this season, Young is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA (22 earned runs/36.2 innings)...When pitching on four days rest this season, Young is 2-3 with a 3.62 ERA (15 earned runs/37.1 innings)...For his career, Young is 27-21 with a 3.78 ERA (177 earned runs/421.0 innings pitched) when pitching on four days rest and 25-19 with a 3.82 ERA (182 earned runs/428.2 innings pitched) when pitching on five or more days rest...Young is making tonight’s start on six days rest...He is 1-1 with a 5.93 ERA (nine earned runs/13.2 innings) when pitching on six or more days rest this season.

POST-ALL-STAR: Since the All-Star break, Young is 1-4 with a 5.59 ERA (23 earned runs/37.0 innings)...For his career, Young is 16-16 with a 4.34 ERA (163 earned runs/338.1 innings pitched) after the All-Star break, but is 36-24 with a 3.45 ERA (196 earned runs/511.1 innings pitched) before the All-Star break.

NO SUPPORT AT HOME: Despite earning quality starts in four of his five home starts, Young is winless at Citi Field this season, going 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA (17 earned runs/31.1 innings)...The Mets are 0-5 and have scored only eight runs in the five games Young has started at home, and the bullpen is 0-2 with an 11.05 ERA (18 earned runs/14.2 innings) in those games.

OVERALL RUN SUPPORT: Has received the least run support on average (2.46 runs per start) of the six Mets starters who have made at least six starts this season...New York has been shut out in Young’s last two starts...The team has scored three or fewer runs in nine of the last 11 games Young has started...The Mets are 3-10 in Young’s 13 starts.

LEFTY/RIGHTY: In his last 10 starts dating to June 23 against the Yankees, Young has held right-handed batters to a .220 (24-109) average and a .265 on-base percentage, striking out 26 while walking only seven...Over the same period, left-handed batters are hitting .305 (32-105) against him with a .381 on-base percentage, 12 strikeouts, and 12 walks.

NIGHTTIME PITCHING: This year, Young is 2-4 with a 5.26 ERA (31 earned runs/53.0 innings) at night and 1-2 with a 2.57 ERA (six earned runs/21.0 innings pitched) during the day...For his career, Young is 37-34 with a 4.11 ERA (281 earned runs/615.1 innings pitched) as a nighttime starter in 111 starts and 15-6 with a 3.00 ERA (78 earned runs/234.1 innings pitched) as a daytime starter in 41 starts.

THIRD TIME THROUGH: Opposing batters are hitting .342 (25-73) the third time they face Young in a game this season, .381 (8-21) in the seventh inning or later, and .462 (6-13) in late and close situations...For his career, Young has held opposing hitters to a .229 batting average when facing them for the third time in a game, but they have hit .254 against him in late and close situations.

PITCHING TO CONTACT: Young is averaging 5.6 strikeouts and 2.9 walks per nine innings this season, both down from his career averages of 7.6 strikeouts and 3.5 walks per nine innings...Opposing hitters are putting 21.1 percent of his pitches in play, up 3.8 percent from Young’s career average of 17.3 percent, and opposing hitters are batting .298 on balls in play, up 42 points from Young’s career average of .256...They are also swinging and missing 17.7 percent of the time, down 3.5 percent from Young’s career average of 21.2 percent...Opposing hitters are swinging at 30.2 percent of Young’s first pitches, up 1.8 percent from Young’s career average of 28.4 percent.

PITCHES PER INNING: Young’s career pitches per inning average of 16.9 (14,363 pitches/849.2 innings) is fourth-highest among active pitchers who have started at least 80 games and thrown at least 800.0 career innings...Young is averaging 15.9 pitches per inning (1177 pitches/74.0 innings) this season.

GROUND BALL/FLY BALL RATIO: Among active pitchers who began their careers after the stat began to be kept in 1987 and have made at least 25 starts, Young has the lowest ground ball/fly ball ratio at 0.54 (673 ground balls/1250 fly balls)...This season, Young has a ground ball/fly ball ratio of 0.41 (57 ground balls/140 fly balls), which is lowest among pitchers with at least three starts...For his career, Young has gotten 34 ground-ball double plays in 528 possible situations (6.4%)...The 34 total GIDP and 6.4% are both fewest in the majors among active pitchers with at least 100 career starts.

STOLEN BASE PERCENTAGE: Since 1974, no pitcher with at least 40 career starts has had bases stolen against him at a higher rate than Young...Base stealers have been successful against Young on 90.5 percent of their attempts (152 steals on 168 attempts)...This season, base stealers have been successful on 81.8 percent (9-11) of their attempts against Young.

OPPONENT BATTING AVERAGE: Ranks second behind the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw among active pitchers who have made at least 50 career starts with an opponent batting average of .224...Kershaw is first at .216...Young’s opponent batting average this season is .277, which for him would be a career-high for a season.

LAST WIN VS. COLORADO: Won, 6-1, on May 11, 2008 at Petco Park, as a member of the San Diego Padres...Pitched 6.0 innings and allowed one run, earned, five hits, and two walks...Struck out seven.

LAST LOSS VS. COLORADO: Lost, 3-0, on May 29, 2009 at Coors Field, as a member of the San Diego Padres...Pitched 6.0 innings and allowed three runs, one earned, two hits, and six walks...Struck out two.

CAREER VS. COLORADO: In 13 career games, all starts, Young is 5-3 with a 4.02 ERA (31 earned runs/69.1 innings) vs. the Rockies.

KEY MATCHUPS:

• Ramon Hernandez - .000 (0-2)
• Dexter Fowler - .500 (2-4, 2 BB)
• Jonathan Herrera - .500 (1-2, BB, K)