The Washington Nationals (55-104, 69-89 RL, 72-79-7 O/U) battle the New York Mets (98-60, 83-73 RL, 81-67-8 O/U) in the first of a three-game divisional series on Monday evening. The Nationals will send Cory Abbott to the hill. The Mets will reply with Carlos Carrasco, seeking his 16th win. The Mets lead the season series 11-5.
Cory Abbott will be on the hill to begin the series. Abbott had trouble again in his previous start, conceding four runs including two home runs in five innings against the Braves, and was tagged with the loss to fall to 0-4 on the season. The veteran right-hander has squandered eight runs in his last two outings and has filed a 5.11 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP in 44 innings pitched. Abbott completed seven shutout innings against the Mets in a 5-1 win in August.
The Nationals have now lost four consecutive series. It was a complete rebuild this season and they gained several assets in the Soto trade. The Nats are 2-8 in their last ten games after losing three of four games against the Phillies this past weekend.
Luis Garcia has been a tough out against the Mets this s eason, registering a stellar .452 average with eight RBIs and a 1.1 OPS. The 22-year-old shortstop has six big flies along with 45 RBIs and a. 712 OPS in 90 games. Garcia has amassed a whopping six RBIs in his last two games.
The Nationals are posting 3.74 runs per game, ranking them 26th overall. The pitching staff is carrying a 4.93 team ERA, pegging them 29th in the big leagues.