Jerry Blevins
Right now, both of these teams are trying to figure out the issues in their bullpen. The Mets bullpen situation is a little clearer now that Jeurys Familia is back to close after his 15 game suspension for violating the domestic violence policy.
For the Washington Nationals, the closer role is shared by Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover after Blake Treinen got demoted from the role earlier this week. Kelley got the save last night and got out of a tough jam Tuesday in the ninth, but the ‘pen still has questions.
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If I had to name an important reliever to watch in this series, keep an eye on left-hander Jerry Blevins. Of course, Nats fans are familiar with Blevins from his time wearing the curly W uniform (2014) before being dealt to New York.
Blevins has made ten appearances this season and has yet to give up an earned run. In fact, he has only thrown more than ten pitches in an appearance twice.
While the Mets pitchers had a tough time figuring out how to get Murphy out last year, Blevins had some success. Murphy was 1-for-8 against Blevins last season with three strikeouts.
Both of these teams have strong starting rotations, so don’t be surprised if at least one of these games comes down to the bullpen. If that’s the case, the Mets get the slight advantage because of Familia and Addison Reed.
Next: Bullpen Struggles Could Lead To Overused Rotation
What are your predictions for this weekend’s series? Send us your thoughts in the comments section.