The New York Mets (19-20) will be going for the series win when they face the Washington Nationals (16-22) in the third game of their four-game series on Sunday afternoon.
Max Scherzer, 2-2, 5.56 ERA, will get the start for the Mets. The Nationals will counter with Jake Irvin, 1-0, 0.84 ERA.
New York is 6-4 in its last 10 games against Washington.
**This preview was written before Saturday’s game was played**
The Mets bounced back from their loss to the Reds with a win over the Nationals in the first game of the series. They will try to keep the momentum going with another win over the Nationals, which will give them their third win in their last four games.
New York is averaging 4.13 runs per game. Their .237 batting average is 20th in the league. Their .324 on base percentage is 13th, while their .382 slugging percentage is 21st.
Brandon Nimmo leads the Mets with a .317 batting average, while Pete Alonso leads the team with 13 home runs and 31 RBI.
New York’s pitching has been good, with the team giving up 4.49 runs per game. Opponents have a .240 batting average against the Mets, which is 14th in the league. Their 4.63 ERA is 21st, while their 1.34 WHIP is 18th.
In his last start, Scherzer gave up eight hits and six runs in 3.1 innings, leading to an 8-1 loss to Detroit. They will need a better performance from him if they want to win this game.
Even though Scherzer is scheduled to start this game, he is listed as questionable with a neck injury.