NEW YORK _ Batting eighth for the Mets on Opening Day and, it seems, most days after that: the starting pitcher.
Mickey Callaway unveiled Wednesday his team's starting lineup for his first game as manager, Thursday against the Cardinals, and it featured a couple of quirks that are poised to become the norm: Yoenis Cespedes batting second and right-hander Noah Syndergaard batting eighth.
Callaway said the decision to bat the pitcher eighth _ which won't be the case every day, he noted _ has more to do with the No. 9 hitter, Amed Rosario, than it does Syndergaard. Hitting ninth is better for Rosario's continued development than hitting eighth in front of the pitcher's spot.
"It takes a little pressure off Rosario," Callaway said. "Hitting in front of the pitcher can be a hard thing sometimes because guys will pitch around you, bury breaking balls, things like that."
And hitting ninth turns the speedy Rosario into a de facto leadoff guy. Callaway said that will help when it comes to getting runners on base for the meat of the Mets' order, which starts with Cespedes in the two-hole, followed by Jay Bruce and Asdrubal Cabrera.
"With Ces hitting second, Bruce hitting third, we wanted another guy that can get on base in front of them," Callaway said. "Those are just a couple of the reasons why. But we feel it makes a lot of sense."
