The New York Mets have decided to play the percentages against Chicago Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija on Saturday, as their lineup is loaded with left-handed bats. Reuben Tejada, David Wright and pitcher Dillon Gee are the only right-handed bats in the starting nine for the Mets, who hope to capitalize on favorable splits. Samardzija has allowed lefties to produce a .270/.356/.494 line with 24 walks in 2012, while he has limited righties to a paltry .253/.297/.346 triple-slash batting line.
Will the move pay off for New York on Saturday? Here are the lineups for each team, via Baseball Press:
| Cubs Lineup | Mets Lineup |
|---|---|
| 1. David DeJesus (L) CF | 1. Ruben Tejada (R) SS |
| 2. Starlin Castro (R) SS | 2. Daniel Murphy (L) 2B |
| 3. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B | 3. David Wright (R) 3B |
| 4. Alfonso Soriano (R) LF | 4. Ike Davis (L) 1B |
| 5. Bryan LaHair (L) RF | 5. Lucas Duda (L) RF |
| 6. Steve Clevenger (L) C | 6. Jordany Valdespin (L) LF |
| 7. Darwin Barney (R) 2B | 7. Josh Thole (L) C |
| 8. Luis Valbuena (L) 3B | 8. Kirk Nieuwenhuis (L) CF |
| 9. Jeff Samardzija (R) P | 9. Dillon Gee (R) P |
Game date/time: Saturday, July 7, 3:10 p.m. CT
Location: Citi Field, New York, NY
TV: WGN
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