Mets vs. Nationals Preview, Lineups, And Broadcast Info: Game #143 — Matt Harvey vs. John Lannan

Today's game notes, courtesy of @Mets.

Teams: Mets vs. Nationals
Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 • 7:10 p.m
Location: Citi Field • Flushing, NY
Starters: LHP John Lannan (2-0, 3.46) vs. RHP Matt Harvey (3-4, 3.04)
TV/Radio: SNY • WFAN • WQBU
Info: Game #143 • Home Game #70

Lineup

Ruben Tejada – SS
Daniel Murphy – 2B Ronny Cedeno – 2B
David Wright – 3B
Scott Hairston – RF
Lucas Duda – 1B
Kelly Shoppach – C
Jason Bay – LF
Andres Torres – CF
Matt Harvey – RHP

METS AT A GLANCE: The Mets have lost five straight and dropped seven of their last eight games...The club has lost a season-high six games three times this season, last, August 19-24...New York is 3-7 in its last 10 games...The Mets are 19-37 (4-20 at home) since the All-Star break...The Mets are a season high-tying 12 games under .500...New York was also 12 games under after August 24 (57-69). AT HOME: The Mets are 30-40 at home this year...New York has lost 21 of its last 25 home games...Daniel Murphy has the seventh-best home batting average (.329) in the National League.

HOMESTAND: The Mets are 0-5 on their current six-game homestand ...New York has gone winless eight times in team history on a homestand of six or more games; the last time was earlier this year, July 20-25 vs. Los Angeles (NL) and Washington.

SERIES: After dropping the first two games to Washington, New York has now lost all six series to the Nationals this year and dating back to 2011 the club has dropped seven straight series... Washington swept the Mets at Citi Field earlier this year, July 23-25 ...The Mets have won one second-half series at home (August 24-26 vs. Houston)...New York is now 1-7 in home series in the second half.

THREE RUNS OR LESS: The Mets have scored three runs or less in 12 consecutive home games, setting a franchise record…The previous record was 11 games, done twice, September 11-22, 1979 and September 6, 1966-April 13, 1967...The last time New York scored more than four runs at home was August 12 in a 6-5 win over Atlanta...The Seattle Mariners were the last team to go 12 or more home games without scoring four or more runs when they went 16 straight home games in 2010.

HIT COUNTDOWN: David Wright collected one hit last night...He has 1,407 career hits, 11 shy of tying Ed Kranepool for the most in franchise history...Kranepool played in 1,853 games...Last night was Wright’s 1,243rd career contest...Three active players lead their current club’s all-time hit list...The Yankees’ Derek Jeter (3,280 hits), Colorado’s Todd Helton (2,420) and Texas’ Michael Young (2,203). WRIGHT RANKINGS: David Wright is fifth in the majors with a .400 on-base percentage, tied for seventh with 38 doubles and is fifth in the National League with a .312 batting average...He ranks second in the NL with 76 walks...Wright leads the National League with 16 intentional walks.

WRIGHT HITTING STREAK: David Wright has hit in six straight games, going 8-24 (.333).

SCOTT HAIRSTON: Hit a solo pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning last night…It was his 17th home run of the season equaling his careerhigh (2008 and 2009). PINCH-HIT LIST: Last night’s home run was Scott Hairston’s third pinch-hit home run this season and sixth as a member of the Mets, moving him into a tie for second-most on the club’s all-time list with Ed Kranepool and Rusty Staub...Mark Carreon is first with eight pinch-hit home runs.

PINCH-HIT HOME RUNS: The Mets hit their 10th pinch-hit home run last night, the third-highest single-season total in club history…The 1997 squad had 11 pinch-hit home runs and the 1983 team hit a franchise-high 12…The M ets are tied for the major league lead with the 10 pinch-hit home runs with Colo rado and lead the majors with 40 pinch-hit RBI.

DANIEL MURPHY: Collected his 36th double last night, two shy of his career-high (38) set in 2010...Murphy ranks sixth in the National League in doubles.

RISP TALE OF TWO HALVES: The Mets went 1-6 with runners in scoring position yesterday and are hitting .202 (87-430) in such situations since the All-Star break…In the first half, the team hit .269 (199-739) with RISP...Overall, the Mets are hitting .245 with RISP on the season, ran king 21st in the majors...The Mets are hitting .257 with runners in scoring position and two outs, the fourth-highest average in the majors, the club was hitting .285 with RISP and two outs in the first half.

TWO-OUT RUNS: The Mets have scored 67 two-out runs in 57 games (1.18 runs per game) in the second half this season after leading the majors with 187 two-out runs in the first half (86 games - 2.17 runs per game)...Overall, New York is 10th in the majors with 254 two-out runs.

MATT HARVEY: Has pitched 6.0 or more innings in five of his eight starts this season...Harvey struck out St. Louis’ Matt Carpenter in the second inning in his last start for his 50th strikeout...It was the 176th batter he faced...Among starting pitchers, that was the fourth-quickest in team history behind Pedro Martinez (148), Nolan Ryan (156) and Dwight Gooden (166)...Harvey has five or more strikeouts in six of his eight starts.

AT THE PLATE: Matt Harvey is batting .400 (6-15) on the year...He collected six hits in 13 at-bats; that’s the fewest at-bats that any Mets pitcher has needed to reach six hits in his major league career.

R.A. DICKEY: Leads the National League with a 2.68 ERA and is tied for second in the majors with 18 wins, one behind Gio Gonzalez...Dickey is tied for second in the NL and tied for fourth in the majors with 197 strikeouts...Dickey also leads the NL in complete games (five) and shutouts (three), the most by a Mets pitcher since David Cone had five in 1992...Dickey is second in the NL in innings pitched and became the first Mets pitcher since Tom Glavine (2004-2005) to toss over 200 innings in consecutive seasons...Dickey is fourth in the majors with a 1.04 WHIP.

IN THE FIELD: The Mets did not make an error last night and since the All-Star break, the team has the fourth-best fielding percentage (.985) in the National League...Overall, New York ranks 12th in the NL with a .982 fielding percentage...David Wright has played 36 consecutive games without making an error, equaling his career-high...His last error came on August 1 at San Francisco...Wright also went 36 straight errorless games from August 7-September 6, 2008.

DOUBLE PLAYS: Last night, New York turned three double plays vs. Washington...Overall, the Mets have turned 113 double plays this season...The Mets hit into two double plays last night and have hit into 121 double plays on the year.

LAST START: Took his fourth loss of the season in the Mets’ 5-1 defeat vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on September 4 at Busch Stadium...Pitched a season low-tying 5.0 innings, allowing three runs, earned, six hits, and three walks...Struck out four.

LAST FIVE STARTS: Over his last five starts dating to August 10 vs. At lanta, Harvey is 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA (nine earned runs/31.0 innings pitched)...Has held hitters to a .198 batting average d uring that span...Furthermore, has held righties to a .158 (9-57) batting average...Has recorded 30 strikeouts in those 31.0 innings...Allowed only one home run in those five starts...Has allowed more than three earned runs only once in his eight starts this season.

RUN SUPPORT: In his eight starts this season, Harvey has received 16 r uns of support (2.00 RS/start)...The only Mets starting pitcher to receive less run support per start is Miguel Batis ta (1.20 RS/start)...Received three runs of support in three starts from July 31 to August 10, before receiving six runs of support in his start at Cincinnati on August 16...Since his start on Aug ust 16, Harvey has received four total runs of support in three starts (1.33 RS/start).

ROOKIE STRIKEOUTS: His 18 strikeouts set a franchise record for most s trikeouts by a pitcher after his first two major league games...According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only three other active pitchers struck out at least 18 batters in their first two major league games: Stephen Strasburg (22), Tim Hudson (19) and Johnny Cueto (18)...Has a K/9 this season of 10.1.

MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY: Made major league history on July 25 by becoming the first player in the modern era (since 1900) to throw 10 or more strikeouts and have at least two hit s in his major league debut... Research courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.

50TH STRIKEOUT: Harvey struck out his 50th batter in his last start at St. Louis in his 176th batter faced...It was the fourth-quickest in team history to reach 50 strikeouts behind Pedro Martinez (148), Nolan Ryan (156) and Dwight Gooden (166)...Harvey has five or more strikeouts in six of his eight sta rts.

LEFT/RIGHT SPLITS: Harvey has held right-handed hitters to a .190 aver age (15-79) this season, and has not surrendered a home run to a righty...Lefties have hit .231 (21-91) with three ho me runs...Since Harvey made his debut on July 26 at Arizona, his opponents batting average of .212 ranks 12th in the majors and fifh in the NL...Clayton Kershaw’s (LaD) .189 opponent batting average leads the NL.

STRIKEOUTS: Harvey’s 11 strikeouts were the most in franchise history for a pitcher making his major league debut...The previous record of eight strikeouts was held by Tom Seaver, April 13, 1967 vs. Pittsburgh and Bill Denehy, April 16, 1967 at Philadelphia...His 11 strikeou ts were tied for the eighth-most since 1900 for a pitcher making his major league debut. more harvey: Walked one in his start on August 15 at Cincinnati, after issuing a season-high five base-on-balls in start vs. Atlanta on August 10, and has issued 15 base-on-balls through the first six starts of his career...Has allowed two earned runs or less in five of his six starts.

THE REST OF THE STORY: Harvey is the fourth pitcher since 1960 to stri ke out 11 or more batters without allowing a run in his major league debut, joining Milwaukee's St eve Woodard (July 28, 1997), Cleveland's Luis Tiant (July 19, 1964) and San Francisco's Juan Marichal (July 1 9, 1960)...Information courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.

FIRST-ROUND METS: Harvey is the 10th pitcher chosen in the first round by the Mets to make a start for the team...He is the first since RHP Mike Pelfrey made his Mets debut on July 8, 200 6...Including Harvey, eight of the the 10 are righties.

2012 ALL-STAR: Named MiLB.com Top Star honors in the 2012 Triple-AAll- Star Game on July 11...Threw two hitless innings, striking out two.

2011 HIGHLIGHTS: In his first professional season, finished with a com bined 13-5 record and a 3.32 ERA (50 earned runs/135.2 innings) in 26 starts with St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League and Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League...Was 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA in 14 starts for St. Lucie and 5-3 with a 4.53 ERA in 12 games for Binghamton.