Washington Nationals vs. Mets Series Preview (6/27-6/29)

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Jun 24, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) delivers a pitch to an Atlanta Braves batter in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Mets won 8-6. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

The Washington Nationals are back home tonight to begin a three game series against the New York Mets

It was a rough road trip for the Washington Nationals (44-32) to say the least. In their ten games, they finished 3-7. Over the weekend, they lost two out of three games to the Brewers, but avoided the sweep thanks to a great outing by Tanner Roark and home runs from Jose Lobaton and Clint Robinson.

Despite the Washington Nationals recent struggles and their injury problems (Stephen Strasburg and Jonathan Papelbon on the DL), Dusty Baker’s club still has a three game lead in the NL East. Tonight, they begin a ten game homestand with a three game series against a team that’s three games back in the division, the New York Mets (40-35).

These two teams are 3-3 in their six meetings this season, but the Mets look a little different this time around. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud came back from a shoulder injury last week and they added James Loney to be their first baseman since Lucas Duda went on the DL with a back injury last month. But, third baseman David Wright had to go on the DL with a herniated disk in his neck back on June 3.

The problem for Terry Collins’ squad has been their offense. This month, the Mets have scored 76 runs, which is the fewest in the National League. On Saturday, they called up outfielder Brandon Nimmo from triple-A Las Vegas and sent Michael Conforto to triple-A (.118 batting average in last 23 games).

Another newsworthy move they made this past weekend was the organization signed Jose Reyes to a minor league deal. Reyes recently served a 52 game suspension for violating the domestic violence policy and was released by the Rockies. He is in the minor leagues now, so he won’t be playing in this series. Reyes played shortstop for the Mets from 2003-2011.

As for the pitching, the Mets have a team ERA of 3.19, which is the third lowest in the NL. However, the starting rotation has a combined total of five wins (two from Bartolo Colon and three from Noah Syndergaard). In the bullpen, Jeurys Familia is 26-for-26 in saves and Addison Reed has a 2.22 ERA in the eighth inning this year.

Before this series starts tonight, check out my breakdown of the three pitching matchups:

Next: Tonight's Matchup

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