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.
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.