Mets at Nationals
The Washington Nationals limp home to face the New York Mets in a three-game series beginning Tuesday following a 3-7 road trip. Washington settled for a four-game split at Dodger Stadium after nearly getting no-hit in a 6-0 loss Sunday and is eight games below .500 for the first time since 2011, raising the club's frustration level.
"There's blame to go around when you’re playing this poorly," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said in a radio interview earlier this week. "There's blame on me, there's blame on the players, there's blame on the coaches, there's blame on everybody, certainly there's enough to go around." Among the problems that have plagued Washington (16-24) is a .980 fielding percentage and an offense (.236) struggling to gain traction as it tries to remain relevant in the tough National League East. New York (19-20), which has won three of its last four games, is one of the three clubs ahead of the Nationals in the division and comes in well-rested after Sunday's game versus Miami was postponed. New York's Noah Syndergaard takes the mound Tuesday after allowing at least four earned runs in five of his last six starts and opposes Jeremy Hellickson, who pitched well against the Mets last season.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), MASN 2 (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Noah Syndergaard (2-3, 5.14 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Jeremy Hellickson (2-1, 5.52)
Syndergaard received a no-decision after allowing five runs (four earned) and nine hits (two home runs) in six innings of New York's 7-6 victory at San Diego on Tuesday. The 26-year-old Texan has yielded seven homers in 49 innings this season after permitting 39 in his first 518 1/3 career frames. Washington's Victor Robles (3-for-4) and Anthony Rendon (10-for-32) have each homered twice versus Syndergaard, who went 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts against the Nationals to start the season and fell to 3-6, 3.60 in 14 career turns.
Hellickson has struggled in his last four outings, going 0-1 with a 7.79 ERA after starting the season 2-0, 2.63 in three starts. The 32-year-old Iowa native allowed two home runs among seven hits and six runs (three earned) in Wednesday's 7-3 loss at Milwaukee and has been taken deep six times in his last four turns. The Mets' Robinson Cano is 5-for-17 with two home runs and four walks against Hellickson, who was 1-0 with a 2.53 ERA in two starts against New York last season, improving to 3-4, 6.71 in 10 career starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. It was believed that Mets IF Jed Lowrie (knee) would make his club and season debut Friday but was instead to be re-evaluated Monday with his rehab window down to five days remaining.
2. Washington OF Juan Soto, the 2018 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up, had his 16-game on-base streak snapped Sunday but leads the club with 23 RBIs despite missing 10 games because of back spasms.
3. The clubs have split six meetings this season with each team winning a three-game series on the road.