Washington Nationals: Nationals vs. Mets Series Preview
The Washington Nationals open the 2019 regular season at home against the New York Mets from March 28-31. View our breakdown and keys to victory.
The Washington Nationals are about to play a meaningful baseball game!
Sure, spring training games are fun and all, but those get boring too quickly. Now, the games begin for real.
The Nationals start at home this year as they host the New York Mets.
Opening Day is tomorrow, March 28, and first pitch is scheduled at1:05 p.m. ET. Both teams get an off-day on the 29th, and then the series continues on the 30th and concludes on the 31st.
Last season, the Mets won the season series 11-8. The Mets scored 5.63 runs per game while the Nationals only scored 4.31 runs per game.
In the division last season, the Nats went 41-35 (.539).
The Nationals have won their previous three Opening Day games and are six for their last seven in game number one.
Going for four in a row won’t be an easy task as the Mets have revamped their roster, opting to make a push for the playoffs rather than rebuild.
During the offseason, the Mets have added numerous veterans and all-stars, including Wilson Ramos, Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, and Jed Lowrie.
Adding those players to a roster with Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard in their primes will make the Mets a real force in the National League East.
In this slideshow, we will preview the matchups starting with the probable pitching matchups along with little tidbits that may show us which team might win each game.
Game One: Jacob deGrom vs Max Scherzer
If you like offense, you might want to tune into a different game.
Opening Day will feature the Cy Young winner, Jacob deGrom, against the Cy Young runner-up, Max Scherzer. Here is a comparison of the two player’s stats from last season:
deGrom: 1.70 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 11.16 K/9, 9.0 WAR (WAR via Fangraphs.com)
Scherzer: 2.53 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 12.24 K/9, 7.4 WAR
In any other year, Scherzer wins the Cy Young award. It just goes to show what an incredible year deGrom had. Even as a rival, Nats fans need to respect deGrom’s capabilities.
deGrom is a complete pitcher. He racks up the strikeouts, limits free passes, and pitches deep into ballgames. Last season, only 11 times of his 32 starts did deGrom fail to record at least 21 outs.
Both bullpens might have the day off as Scherzer is no stranger to long days at the office. Scherzer failed to record six innings pitched in only three starts last season.
The key to this game will be getting perhaps just one hit with a runner in scoring position. Even getting a runner on second base will be difficult. Whichever team takes advantage will win the game.
So, the first team to score wins? It may play out that way.
Game Two: Noah Syndergaard vs. Stephen Strasburg
These two all-star pitchers are healthy. For now.
Stephen Strasburg is no stranger to the injury list. After suffering from a right shoulder injury and a pinched nerve in his neck in 2018, Strasburg is healthy to start this season.
His opponent, Noah Syndergaard, dealt with a right-hand injury last season and missed nearly two months.
When healthy, Strasburg and Syndergaard are two of the ten or fifteen best pitchers in baseball without question. The problem is that neither of them can sustain a full season of health.
Syndergaard and Strasburg have combined to pitch just 1 season of at least 30 starts since 2015.
However, both are healthy now, and that’s all that matters on Saturday.
Syndergaard has struggled, relatively, against the Nats. Against the Nats, he has a 3.43 ERA with a 1.190 WHIP.
The area in which the one they call Thor really struggles is holding runners. He has allowed 16 stolen bases against the Nats, the most of any team against him.
This appears to be a boom/bust matchup for the Nats offense. If Syndergaard establishes himself early, it will be tough sledding for the Nats.
If Adam Eaton and Trea Turner cause havoc on the basepaths, the Nats will win. If they don’t the Mets have a much better chance to prevail.
Game Three: Zach Wheeler vs. Patrick Corbin
For the third straight afternoon, it will be a pitching duel. However, for Nats fans, one competitor is a fresh face.
Patrick Corbin will take the ball for the first time with a Curly W on his cap. He broke out last year, posting career-best marks in hits allowed, ERA, and strikeouts.
Corbin will face a fellow breakout star, Zach Wheeler. Wheeler started 29 games for the Mets, recording a 3.31 ERA and a 3.25 FIP, backing up his dominance.
While Saturday’s matchup is boom/bust for the offenses, this will be a boom/bust spot for the pitchers. Despite his dominance last season, Wheeler is only one year removed from a 5.21 ERA 2017 season.
If either team’s starters on Saturday can’t go seven innings, it will put the bullpen’s in a tough spot, forcing the two managers to go to fourth and fifth options.
Corbin is in the better spot due to the Mets having a heavy left-handed lineup with Robinson Cano, Michael Conforto, and Brandon Nimmo.
If the Nationals can dodge the deGrom bullet on Opening Day, this series sets up really well for the Nats.
The Nats should take two of three games against the Mets for a series win during the opening weekend.
dark. Next. Rendon Extension Update
This is a great test for the Nats right out of the gate, and having thousands of red, white, and blue shirts and jerseys in the stands yelling and screaming will help push them over the finish line at the end of games.