Mets Host Nationals For Three Between NL East Contenders

The New York Mets welcome the division rival Washington Nationals to Citi Field for three weekend games in Queens between two teams in the mix in the NL East. The Mets and Nationals will play Friday night on May 19, and in the afternoon on Saturday May 20 and Sunday May 21.

At the time of this writing, the Mets are 7-4 and the Nationals are 8-5, leaving them second and third in the National League East Division and among the top teams in the National League overall.

The Mets have done it in impressive fashion with a plus-24 run differential, while the Nationals have managed their winning record despite giving up 13 more runs than they’ve scored.

New York has gotten a phenomenal start out of pitcher Matt Harvey, who is 3-0 with a .82 earned runs average. Harvey is holding opponents to a .088 batting average, and while those numbers will be hard to sustain, his early success is a good sign for the Mets. Jonathon Niese has been solid as well, with a 2-0 record and a 3.57 earned runs average. If the two of them keep pitching well, the Mets could be contenders this year.

The Nationals have a deep pitching staff as well, and Stephen Strasburg is 1-2 so far this year with a 2.95 earned runs average. Jorda Zimmerman has performed even better, with a 2-0 record and a 2.08 earned runs average. Ross Detwiler has had some tough luck, starting two games and posting a 0.69 earned runs average. Despite that, he hasn’t picked up a decision yet this year.

The Nationals also boast second year star Bryce Harper, who is hitting .348 with five home runs and 10 runs batted in through 12 games. That puts him on a torrid pace at the plate, which will be tough to keep up. Still, he seems likely to follow up his impressive rookie campaign with another strong year.

There are sure to be plenty of Nationals fans in New York thanks to the short trip, and this could be quite the series so get your tickets today.

Categorized in: MLB