Wednesday features an NL East showdown as the Washington Nationals (6-7) are traveling to Citi Field to take on the New York Mets (7-11). This is the third of a four-game series. First pitch for this one is scheduled for 7:10 pm ET.
The Nationals have taken the first two games of this series. On Monday, they won in an offensive explosion 16-4. On Tuesday, they did it with their pitching as they beat the Mets 2-1. In that game, Max Scherzer picked up the win going six innings, allowing six hits, one earned run, two walks, and struck out seven.
For the Nationals, like last year, when they won the World Series, they have gotten off to a slow start. Sitting at 6-7 and third in the division, the Nationals sit just a couple of games behind the Miami Marlins. They will look to work towards closing the gap Wednesday.
For the Mets, they come in dead last in the NL East. With that being said, the division is full of talent, and despite being last, they sit just 3.5 games behind the Marlins.
The pitching matchup for this game will feature Anibal Sanchez (0-2, 7.84 ERA) for the Nationals. At the time of this writing, the Mets have still not announced their starter.
By The Numbers
On the offensive side, both of these teams have struggled thus far. The Mets currently sit in 21st in MLB in average runs scored per game at 4.12. For the Nationals, they come in 23rd with an average of 4.08 runs per game.
On the defensive end, it is the Nationals who hold the advantage. They currently rank 8th in the majors allowing an average of 4 runs per game to opponents. For the Mets, they come in 26th overall, allowing 5.41 runs per game.
Nationals Look To Make It Three In A Row
With so many teams in the NL East jumbled together, the Nationals would love to keep rolling over the Mets in this four-game series. To do so, they will turn to righty Anibal Sanchez to take care of business on the mound. Sanchez has been off to a rough start this season, though. He has allowed 16 hits, nine runs, and four home runs in his first two starts.
On the offensive side, outfielder Juan Soto is the Nationals’ best hitter. Despite missing several games due to a positive COVID-19 test, Soto is hitting .364/.391/.773 with two home runs, five runs batted in, and four runs scored.
Another player who has been performing well is third baseman, Asdrubal Cabrera. In 46 at-bats, Cabrera is hitting .326/.380/.674 with three home runs, 11 runs batted in, and six runs scored.
Mets Trying To End Losing Skid
It has been a disastrous start to this four-game series for the Mets, but a win on Wednesday could give them the opportunity for a series split. To do so, though, they may be relying on a bullpen game on Wednesday to piece together a win.
Offensively, the Mets have gotten some decent production from a handful of players. Outfielder J.D. Davis (.327/.424/.509 with three home runs, 11 runs batted in), infielder Jeff McNeil (.321/.387/.396 with seven runs batted in) and outfielder Michael Conforto (.308/.400/.492 with three home runs, nine runs batted in) have all gotten off to decent starts.
One player who has not gotten off to a good start is Pete Alonso. The slugging first baseman is hitting just .197/.329/.303 with two home runs and seven runs batted in.
Mets Could Be A Good Play
Keep your eye on what the Mets decide to do from a pitching standpoint because they could be a good play in this one. While they have struggled over the first two games of this series, they are going against a pitcher in Anibal Sanchez who has been struggling just as bad.
If the Mets have a chance of stealing one of these games this series, this is probably it. For my money, I am taking the Mets in this one.
