Washington @ New York Game Overview

If the Mets want to join the playoff party, this weekend would be a good time to begin figuring out how to beat the non-contenders, as well.

The Mets will again attempt to build some late-season momentum Friday night when they host the Washington Nationals for the first of three games between the longtime National League East rivals.

Right-hander Brandon Sproat (0-1, 2.25 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against Nationals left-hander Andrew Alvarez (1-0, 1.15) in a duel of rookies.

The host Mets earned a much-needed series win Thursday when Brandon Nimmo hit a three-run homer to cap a four-run third inning in a 6-1 victory over the San Diego Padres in the finale of a three-game set.

The Nationals were off Thursday after the visiting Atlanta Braves completed a four-game sweep of Washington on Wednesday with a 9-4 win.

The Mets (79-74) are two games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds in the race for the final NL wild card. Both of those teams are 77-76. The Diamondbacks were idle Thursday while Hunter Greene tossed a one-hitter to lead the Reds past the Chicago Cubs 1-0.

The Mets are also four games behind the Padres, who are in the second wild-card spot. New York outscored San Diego 18-11 while hitting 10 homers during the series.

"You always want to win series -- and especially against a team that is in a playoff spot," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "We don't have too many (games) left."

The series win was the third in the last seven tries for the Mets, who swept a three-game set from the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies from Aug. 25-27 before winning two of three against the Detroit Tigers, who lead the American League Central, from Sept. 1-3.

But the Mets haven't fared nearly as well over the last three weeks against the Reds, Miami Marlins and Texas Rangers, who have combined to win seven of 10 against New York since Aug. 28.

The Mets are 34-50 since June 13, a stretch in which they've lost seven series against teams that will enter Friday with a losing record -- including the Nationals, who took two of three in Washington, from Aug 19-21.

"What we've gone through the past couple of months here -- the past is in the past now," Mendoza said. "To win this series against a really good team, now we've got to get that momentum against the Nationals."

The Nationals (62-91) looked like a potential spoiler when they opened September by winning seven of eight, including two of three against the playoff-bound Cubs at Wrigley Field from Sept. 5-7.

But Washington has lost seven of its last nine. The Nationals were outscored 31-10 by the Braves, who overcame deficits in three of the four games and scored all their runs in the 10th inning of a 5-0 win in the nightcap of Tuesday's doubleheader.

The skid all but ensures the Nationals will finish alone in last place in the NL East for the fifth time in six seasons since winning the World Series in 2019. Washington is eight games behind the fourth-place Braves with nine to play.

"It's never easy to lose," Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews said. "We want to win every single day, trust me."

Sproat and Alvarez each tossed six scoreless innings but didn't factor into the decision last Saturday, when the Mets fell to the Rangers 3-2 and the Nationals lost to the Pirates 5-1.

Sproat will be making his third career start Friday while Alvarez will be taking the mound for the fourth time.

--Field Level Media