Mets at Nationals
New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey returns to the mound Thursday for
his first regular-season start in nearly 20 months when he opposes
Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg in a marquee matchup to close out a
three-game series in the nation's capital. Harvey missed all of 2014
following Tommy John surgery, which interrupted what figures to be an
inevitable ascension to the top of the pitching ranks.
He showed he was ready to return to the dominant form he flashed in 2013 with a smooth spring, posting a 1.19 ERA in six Grapefruit League outings. The two young hurlers have a tough act to follow, as Jordan Zimmermann outdueled Jacob deGrom to lift Washington to a 2-1 win Wednesday. Zimmermann permitted a run and five hits in six innings, Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run homer and three relievers got the Nationals to the finish line to even the series. The result kept alive an impressive trend for Washington, which has won 15 of the last 19 one-run games between the teams.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, SNY (New York), MASN (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Matt Harvey (2013: 9-5, 2.27 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (2014: 14-11, 3.14)
Despite having his 2013 season cut short, Harvey still finished fourth in the National League in Cy Young Award voting after ranking third overall in ERA, third in strikeouts per nine innings (9.64) and second in WHIP (0.931) among qualified NL hurlers. He had some of his finest outings against the Nationals, going 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in three starts, including one in Washington in which he lasted eight frames without giving up an earned run. The 26-year-old is 4-0 with a 1.56 mark in six career April starts.
Strasburg had his first full season in 2014, tying for the NL lead in starts (34) and coming in fifth in innings pitched (215). He also tied Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto for the league lead with 242 strikeouts, including a whopping 140 in 116 innings at home, where he was 9-3 with a 2.56 ERA. The former No. 1 pick, who had a 4.20 ERA across 15 innings during spring training, is 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA in six career starts against the Mets.
WALK-OFFS
1. Nationals RF Bryce Harper is 4-for-7 with a home run and a walk through the first two games.
2. Mets 3B David Wright has struck out seven times in 15 career at-bats against Strasburg.
3. Washington OF Jayson Werth (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a rehab stint at Single-A Potomac on Thursday.