Washington @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 31, 2015 ) Washington 1, NY Mets 2

New York Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores has run the gamut of emotions in a two-day span, crying on the field Wednesday after he thought he had been traded before turning those tears to thunderous cheers 48 hours later. Flores belted a walk-off homer in the 12th inning to cap a 2-1 victory for the Mets, who try to make it two straight wins over the visiting Washington Nationals on Saturday.

"This kid can't ever forget this night," New York manager Terry Collins said of Flores after he cut the first-place Nationals' lead to two games atop the National League East. The Mets made another bold move with the acquisition of power-hitter outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who is expected to make his New York debut Saturday night. Washington, which dropped to 3-5 on its 10-game road trip, has been limited to one run in four of its last five contests. The Nationals could be in for another rough night at the plate when they face 10-game winner Jacob deGrom, who will be opposed by rookie Joe Ross.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MASN (Washington), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Joe Ross (2-3, 3.03 ERA) vs. Mets RH Jacob deGrom (10-6, 2.05)

Ross has turned a pair of quality starts since his recall from Triple-A Syracuse but wound up taking the loss in both as the Nationals managed a total of three runs. He gave up three runs and five hits while striking out seven at Pittsburgh last time out after limiting the Mets to two earned runs over 6 1/3 innings in his previous turn. Making his sixth career start, Ross has 34 strikeouts with three walks and one homer allowed.

DeGrom is coming off another superb performance but had to settle for a no-decision despite blanking the Los Angeles Dodgers on two hits over 7 2/3 innings. He beat the Nationals for the first time in three starts this season in his previous turn, giving up two runs on three hits in six innings. The 22-year-old deGrom is 5-2 with a 1.48 ERA while holding teams to a .207 batting average against in 10 starts at Citi Field.

WALK-OFFS

1. DeGrom has permitted two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his last 12 starts.

2. Nationals RF Bryce Harper was hitless in five at-bats Friday, snapping his eight-game hitting streak.

3. Flores notched his third walk-off hit of the season, tying Toronto's Josh Donaldson and Starlin Castro of the Cubs for the major-league lead.

PREDICTION: Mets 4, Nationals 2