Series Preview 4/18-4/20: Braves vs Mets

The Braves continue their road trip in Flushing, New York to take on the New York Mets.  The Mets and Braves have already locked horns once this season, with the Mets taking the series in Atlanta 2 to 1.  Preview this series here at Tomahawk Take!

Game 1:

7:10 PM EST, Friday, April 18th

Probables: Aaron Harang (1-1, 0.96 ERA) vs Jon Niese (0-1, 3.46 ERA)

Game 2:

7:10 PM EST, Saturday, April 19th

Probables:  Ervin Santana (1-0, 0.64 ERA) vs Bartolo Colon (1-2, 6.00 ERA)

Game 3:

1:10 PM EST, Sunday, April 20th

Probables:  David Hale (1-0, 2.89 ERA) vs Zack Wheeler (1-2, 4.67 ERA)

Things To Look For:

• Ervin Santana is making 31 other teams regret not signing him.  The newest Brave has struck out 17 batters in the 14 innings he has thrown this year, walking just two in the meantime.  This could be a good sign for the Braves, considering the Mets have already struck out 150 times – 16 more times than the strikeout prone Braves.
• Bartolo Colon was disastrous in his last start against the Angels, giving up 9 earn runs and 11 hits in just 5 innings.  Oddly enough, Colon seemed to appear ace like in his previous start, blanking the Braves over 7 innings while walking none and allowing just six hits.  Which Bartolo will show up this week?  Well, he might not at all:  Reports are that Bartolo has been dealing with a strained back, and is in question for tomorrows start.
• Fredi Gonzalez has seemingly permanently moved Chris Johnson from cleanup to the 7th spot in the order, where he has thrived over his career.  In a seasons worth of plate appearances (522 to be exact), Johnson has hit .330/.363/.514 and hit a personal high in home runs in this spot (17).  While B.J. Upton seems to sticking in the 2nd spot in the lineup, this taking this pressure off of CJ has historically shown good results, so look for some good, low pressure at bats in the 7th spot from the Lord of BABIP.
• The Mets offense has been struggling as a whole, hitting just .229/.299/.344.  Look for the quality of the Braves pitching to be the deciding factor in this series.
• Speaking of effective pitching, with Mike Minor on the verge of returning, Aaron Harang can rest easy for his job security for the time being.  The right hander has found a fountain of youth, leading the National League in ERA early on this season.  And luck seems to have little to nothing to do with it:  Harang has struck out 17 over 18.2 innings, walking only six batters on his way to a shocking 0.804 WHIP and 2.20 FIP.  Locked in and dealing, look for Aaron Harang’s performance tonight to set the tone for the