Washington Nationals Series Preview: Nationals at Mets (4/30-5/3)
By Ricky Keeler
Apr 26, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) before a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Nationals came into the series against the Atlanta Braves on a five game losing streak with a struggling offense and a team making numerous errors on the field. However, they leave Atlanta winning two games out of three and feeling much better about themselves. The moment everyone will remember about this series is the comeback the Nationals made on Tuesday when they rallied from a 10-2 deficit to beat Atlanta 13-12.
The important thing about that game was the Nats carried that momentum into the series finale, where they beat the Braves 13-4 as Jordan Zimmerman threw seven solid innings of baseball and contributed with three RBI’s of his own. The Nationals (9-13) now head up to New York to play in a ballpark they have had success in the last couple of years (16-4 in the last two seasons). But, the New York Mets (15-7) come into this series as the best team in the National League.
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In the first series of the season, the Mets took two of the three from the Nats at Nats Park. It was a very competitive series, but Washington gave New York too many extra outs. Out of the ten runs the Nats allowed in the series, four of them were earned. This was due in part to Washington’s bad defense, including three errors by shortstop Ian Desmond.
Both teams are coming into this series looking much different than they did in that opening series. For the Mets, they are without third baseman David Wright (hamstring), catcher Travis d’Arnaud (fractured hand), and former Nats lefty reliever Jerry Blevins (fractured forearm). d’Arnaud was 5-for-11 in that first series with four RBIs.
When you talk about the Mets, you have to talk about their starting pitching. Currently, New York’s starting pitching ERA is at 3.23, which is fourth in the Major Leagues. They have two pitchers with four wins in Bartolo Colon and Friday night’s starter, Matt Harvey. In the bullpen, Jeurys Familia has been excellent as the closer, converting all nine of his save opportunities.
As for the offense, New York has 89 RBI’s as a team, which is third in the National League. One of the players that has stood out so far is first baseman Lucas Duda. Duda is hitting .312 on the season with two home runs and 12 RBI’s and leads the team in on-base percentage (.413).
Before we breakdown the four pitching matchups, we want to remind you to follow our friends over at Rising Apple for some of the best Mets coverage on the internet:
Next: Thursday's Matchup