New York Mets Series Preview vs. Tampa Bay Rays August 7th-9th

What Lineups Will We See?

Aug 5, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; New York Mets manager Terry Collins before a game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

With the Mets traveling to take on the Rays, it means they will be a little out of their element playing with a DH. How will Terry Collins manage this, as he will be inserting another hitter into his lineup and shortening his bench?

For starters, it means the Mets starters won’t have to worry about getting pulled early. Plenty of times this season, to the dismay of fans, Collins has pinch hit for them despite low pitch counts. That will not longer be a problem in an AL park, as the DH means the pitchers will not be hitting for themselves.

It also means Collins has a decision to make about who will be the DH for his team. Could the Mets get Michael Cuddyer back from the DL and insert him in there? That would be a perfect way to ease him back into the lineup, as it will give the Mets another bat in the lineup without any of the negatives his knee and glove may give them in the field.

Or could we see the Mets go with a defensive lineup knowing they can insert a player such as Wilmer Flores into the DH spot and not lose his bat in the lineup? Or the Mets could use Michael Conforto there with Juan Lagares in centerfield; that gives the Mets an added bad without sacrificing defense again.

There are a lot of combinations that Collins can use this weekend, as the Mets are better suited for AL rules after the trade deadline than they were before it. They now have major league caliber players that can DH instead of borderline, replacement level players such as Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Eric Campbell or Darrell Ceciliani manning the spot.

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