Mets at Nationals
First place in the National League East will be on the line Tuesday when the New York Mets begin a three-game series in the nation’s capital against the Washington Nationals. Not many expected the Mets to challenge for the NL East title, but they had other ideas and are one-half game behind first-place Washington and Miami. The Mets’ pitching staff, 24th in the major leagues with a 4.25 ERA prior to Monday’s 5-4 loss to St. Louis, allowed one run in the previous three games of the Cardinals’ series, highlighted by Johan Santana’s no-hitter Friday.
The Nationals are all about pitching: They lead the major leagues in ERA (.295) and batting average against (.223) and are third with 446 strikeouts, one behind Milwaukee and three back of Detroit.
New York’s Chris Young will make his 2012 debut after recovering from surgery last May to repair a torn anterior capsule in his pitching shoulder, the same procedure Santana had done eight months earlier. Young will oppose Jordan Zimmermann, who is 0-3 in five starts at home. The Mets won two of three in New York in early April.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), MASN2 (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Chris Young (2011: 1-0, 1.88 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Jordan Zimmermann (3-5, 2.80)
Young will be on a pitch count of about 90. He worked with that limit in his fourth and final rehab start Thursday, when he allowed two hits in six scoreless innings with Triple-A Buffalo. The Mets will activate Miguel Batista from the disabled list Tuesday to serve as Young’s backup. Young is 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA in six starts against Washington and has been particularly successful against Adam La Roche (3-for-22, seven strikeouts).
Zimmermann has alternated losses and wins in his last five starts. He has allowed one earned run in six of his 10 outings, but is only 3-1 with two no-decisions in those starts. He has allowed 22 hits in his last three starts (18 innings). Zimmermann is 2-2 in seven career starts against the Mets. New York’s roster is hitting .323 against him, with Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy a combined 9-for-18 with a homer and three RBIs apiece. David Wright is 3-for-16 with six strikeouts.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York’s Jason Bay, who has recovered from a broken rib, won’t rejoin the team Tuesday because of illness.
2. Washington’s Gio Gonzalez and Bryce Harper were named NL pitcher and rookie of the month. Gonzalez was 5-0 with a 2.25 ERA while Harper, 19, hit .271 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 28 games.
3. Santana, who threw 134 pitches in his gem, will get extra rest and miss the series. His next start will be Friday at Yankee Stadium.