The Miami Marlins and New York Mets are playing live on the MLB Spring Training schedule for the Grapefruit League and the matchup is streaming online from MLB.com for coverage past 1:05 pm ET at Tradition Field as NY hosts the game.
The Mets come in after getting some bad news on Zack Wheeler, as he will need Tommy John surgery and will be out for the season. The team now will turn to Dillon Gee to step into the rotation and he comes in after trade talk this offseason. The Mets last lost to the Red Sox and they will have the Cardinals on the road for their next matchup.
The Mets see themselves as a playoff contender this year and while Wheeler will be out, the team has Matt Harvey back from his TJ surgery. The Mets feel like they can make a run into the wild card and they come in after ranking 21st in the league in runs scored and 28th in batting average. The team added Michael Cuddyer in the offseason and they hope that he can add some pop and that David wright can bounce back. The Marlins are also coming in with high expectations and they signed Giancarlo Stanton to a massive contract and now they could be contenders for a wild card spot.
The Marlins come in after getting a win against the Tigers and they will next play against the Washington Nationals. Dan Haren had a nice performance and they hope he can be a consistent veteran in the rotation this season. Haren got the win against the Tigers and the Marlins are coming back after ranking 16th in runs scored last season and 15th in batting average. The team hopes to get back José Fernandez at some point and they also have some solid prospects coming up.
The NL East is likely the Nationals' division to lose, but with their $325 million man coming back from an injury, the Marlins feel like they have a chance as well. The NL is wide open in the wild card race and both teams expect to be in it this season. The loss of Wheeler is huge, as he was one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball last season and now he will be out for an entire year. Wheeler may miss the start of next season and he is out after pitching in 32 games in 2014. Harvey's healthy and Gee's ability now will be crucial for the Mets.
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