Washington @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 12, 2011 ) Washington 3, NY Mets 2
THE STORY: The Washington Nationals haven't finished outside the bottom two in the National League East since 2002, when the franchise was still located in Montreal. With a couple more wins against the New York Mets, the Nationals could put themselves in position to change that. Washington is two games behind New York for third place in the division after a 3-2 win in the opener of a four-game set Monday at Citi Field, and it will try to chip another game off that margin when the series continues Tuesday.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MASN, SportsNet New York
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Chien-Ming Wang (2-3, 4.43 ERA) vs. Mets RH Dillon Gee (12-6, 4.42 ERA).
Twice a 19-game winner for the New York Yankees, Wang was out of the majors for all of 2010 before returning with the Nationals in July. He has been inconsistent in eight starts. Wang allowed four runs over six innings in a 7-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, remaining winless since Aug. 16. He is 2-2 with a 5.26 ERA in four starts against the Mets.
Gee has been one of the Mets' most consistent pitchers, but he is winless in his last two starts. He was hit hard by Washington on Sept. 3, allowing six runs over five innings of an 8-7 loss, but he didn't factor in the decision. It was his first rough outing in four starts against the Nationals; he is 3-0 with a 3.08 ERA against them.
ABOUT THE NATIONALS (68-77): The Nationals are seeking their first three-game winning streak since they won four in a row from July 30-Aug. 1. They found an unlikely hero Monday, as rookie Steve Lombardozzi drove in the eventual winning run with his first major league hit. Lombardozzi was 0-for-15 before his RBI single in the seventh inning. The Nationals' bullpen was outstanding Monday, as three relievers combined for 3 1/3 innings of scoreless work without allowing a hit.
ABOUT THE METS (71-76): A week ago, the Mets seemed poised for their first winning season since going 89-73 in 2008, but they've lost five of six to begin their nine-game homestand. The offense didn't do much to help end that slide Monday, managing only three hits – the Mets' fewest since Aug. 11. Even leadoff man Jose Reyes went 0-for-4, lowering his average to .329, two points behind Milwaukee's Ryan Braun for the National League lead.
FINAL PITCH: Mets third baseman David Wright is hitting only .253 at home this season, by far his lowest average in the Mets' three seasons at Citi Field. Wright is a career .284 hitter at Citi Field. He hit .288 there last year and .298 there in 2009.