New York @ Cleveland preview
Progressive Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 16, 2010 ) NY Mets 8, Cleveland 4
R.A. Dickey’s time with the Mets has been fairly remarkable. Thursday night in Cleveland, he can make it historic.
Dickey will attempt to tie a club record by winning his first five decisions when he faces the last-place Cleveland Indians in the finale of their three-game interleague series.
The 35-year-old journeyman knuckleballer has been sensational since New York recalled him from Triple-A on May 19. Dickey has pitched six innings in every start this season and allowed more than three runs only once, good enough for a 2.78 ERA.
Dickey has won more than six games in the major leagues only once, when he set a career high with nine victories with Texas in 2003.
His best start this season was his most recent, when he struck out a career-high eight Orioles while allowing one run in seven innings. A victory over the Indians will tie Dickey with Bobby Ojeda (1986), Armando Reynoso (1997) and Kenny Rogers (1999) as pitchers to win their first five decisions.
The Mets have feasted on American League bottom feeders to this point, going 5-0 against the Orioles and Indians. New York is 17-5 over its last 22 games to pull itself up from last place to second, a half-game behind Atlanta.
The Indians haven’t been as fortunate and continue to spin their wheels in a season quickly going nowhere. The Indians remain loyal to veterans with little future in Cleveland, such as Shelley Duncan, Austin Kearns and Russell Branyan, while top prospects like Michael Brantley and Matt LaPorta toil in Triple-A.
Both Brantley and LaPorta began the year in Cleveland, but were quickly shipped out after struggling. It’s difficult to keep them in Triple-A for much longer, though, since the Indians are already 12 1/2 games out of first, and two games behind the Kansas City Royals for fourth place in the AL Central.
If there is a bright spot, it’s a starting staff that has performed better than expected. That includes Thursday starter Jake Westbrook, who is 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA in his last seven starts. Westbrook is still, however, searching for consistency as he continues to work his way back from elbow surgery.
Westbrook pitched into the eighth inning in his last start against Washington, allowing just two runs on seven hits. But Westbrook hasn’t strung together quality starts since the middle of May.