Washington Nationals: Storylines to watch this weekend in Queens
By Ricky Keeler
The Washington Nationals are at Citi Field this weekend for the final time this year. Here are our 5 storylines to watch against the New York Mets
In the beginning of their nine game road trip, the Washington Nationals (92-60) were able to win two out of three games against the Atlanta Braves. During this series, Ryan Zimmerman hit his 34th home run of the season, which is a career-high and Anthony Rendon had his 40th double (also a career-high)
As for the starting pitching, the Nats got good performances from Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez, and Tanner Roark. Plus, in their last six games, the bullpen has allowed only one run. The Nats are 3.5 games behind the Dodgers for the top seed, but they would hold the tiebreaker if both teams finish with the same record.
Tonight, the Washington Nationals are at Citi Field to begin a three game series against the New York Mets (65-87). This season, the Nats are 11-5 against New York and they are 6-1 in games played at Citi Field.
It has been a rough season for the Mets and it has continued in the second half. They are 7-12 in 19 games this month and they are 17-32 since August 1. Despite the losing record, the Mets have scored 91 runs, which is the fourth most in the National League over that span. Five Mets are in double figures in RBI’s, including Jose Reyes (leads the team with 15).
The starting pitching has continued to struggle due to all the injuries to the staff this season. In September, the only pitcher with a over .500 record is tonight’s starter, Robert Gsellman. Jacob deGrom has been good, but the team is trying to figure out what is wrong with Matt Harvey.
For the Nats, Mets pitching and Citi Field have been great for the offense this year. Four players have four home runs against New York this season. Those players are Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Matt Wieters, and Adam Lind.
Let’s take a look at the pitching matchups in this series
Tonight: Edwin Jackson (5-6, 4.77 ERA) vs. Robert Gsellman (7-7, 5.22, 7:10 p.m ET, broadcast on MASN
Tomorrow: Stephen Strasburg (14-4, 2.60) vs. Matt Harvey (5-6, 6.59) – 7:10 p.m, MASN
Sunday: Max Scherzer (15-6, 2.59) vs. Jacob deGrom (15-9, 3.55) Matt Harvey (5-6, 6.59) – 1:10 p.m, MASN
Now, here are some of the storylines to keep an eye on during this weekend series