Mets at Nationals
The last three National League Cy Young Award winners will be featured on the mound when the New York Mets visit the Washington Nationals on Tuesday for the second of a three-game series between National League East rivals. New York gives the ball to 2018 winner Jacob deGrom after taking the series opener 7-3 on Monday, while the Nationals counter with 2016 and 2017 Cy Young victor Max Scherzer.
Washington managed three hits and no runs through the first eight innings of the series opener after scoring 31 times during a four-game winning streak, but the club still has a stranglehold on the top wild card spot while being in striking distance of Atlanta in the NL East. Former Met Asdrubal Cabrera provided all the offense for the Nationals on Monday with a three-run homer and Anthony Rendon extended his hitting streak to five games (10-for-17, three homers, seven RBIs, nine runs), finishing 1-for-3 to lower his batting average against New York this year to .391. The Mets won for just the third time in 10 contests as they attempt to stay in the race for the NL’s second wild card and should have catcher Wilson Ramos back in the lineup Tuesday as he tries adding to his 25-game hitting streak, in which he is 42-for-96 with 17 RBIs. New York slugger Pete Alonso, who went into Monday tied for the major-league lead with 43 homers, has reached base in 28 straight contests after going 1-for-5 with a run scored in the series opener.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), MASN (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Jacob deGrom (8-8, 2.66 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Max Scherzer (9-5, 2.46)
DeGrom saw his nine-game unbeaten streak end Thursday when he allowed four runs on five hits over seven innings in a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The 31-year-old Florida native finished August with a 2-1 record and 2.18 ERA along with 40 strikeouts and just five walks over 33 innings across five starts. Adam Eaton is 6-for-18 with a homer versus deGrom, who is 1-0 with a 0.53 ERA in three starts against the Nationals this year.
Scherzer has been limited in his first two starts after missing almost a month with a back injury, giving up three runs on 10 hits over 8 1/3 innings combined. The 35-year-old Missouri native has struck out 200 batters in just 142 2/3 innings, but he is 3-4 at home this year as opposed to 6-1 on the road. Michael Conforto is 9-for-28 with four homers and 11 strikeouts against Scherzer, who is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts versus the Mets this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York 3B Todd Frazier, who was also rested Monday after going 6-for-11 with eight RBIs in his last three games, needs one hit for 1,000 in his career.
2. Washington INF-OF Howie Kendrick did not play in the series opener but is 12-for-26 with five doubles and eight RBIs in his last 10 appearances.
3. Mets SS Amed Rosario was 1-for-5 in the series opener and is batting .323 on the road as opposed to .237 at Citi Field.