Mets at Nationals
The New York Mets were having some trouble getting the hitting and the pitching on the same page during a six-game slide, but a trip to Washington is proving to be just what the team needed to find its consistency. The Mets will try to keep the home runs coming and pull off a three-game sweep when they visit the Nationals for the series finale on Sunday.
New York got two home runs from an unlikely source when Travis d'Arnaud hit a pair off Cy Young winner Max Scherzer in Friday's 7-5 triumph, and Michael Conforto took his turn on center stage in Saturday's 5-3 win. Conforto went 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs out of the leadoff spot in the order and Jose Reyes, who is batting .173, added a homer out of the No. 6 spot. The Mets will try to provide the same level of support on Sunday for ace Noah Syndergaard, who is returning to the rotation after having his start pushed back. The Nationals, who swept a three-game series at New York last weekend as part of a 9-1 road trip prior to returning home on Friday, will try to avoid the sweep behind righty Joe Ross.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, WPIX (New York), MASN2 (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Noah Syndergaard (1-1, 1.73 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Joe Ross (1-0, 6.17)
Syndergaard was scheduled to go on Thursday but felt pain in his shoulder prior to the game on Wednesday and was pushed back as a precautionary measure. The Texas native, who suffered his first loss of the season while allowing five runs - three earned - despite striking out 10 over seven innings against Philadelphia on April 20, told reporters he could have made the start on Thursday and felt fine on Friday. Syndergaard is 2-3 with a 2.77 ERA in eight career starts against Washington.
Ross won his season debut at Atlanta on April 19 while scattering three runs over seven innings but was not nearly as sharp the last time out. The 23-year-old was rocked for five runs on seven hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings at Colorado on Tuesday but watched his offense pile up 15 runs to keep him out of the loss column. Ross is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three career starts against the Mets.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Nationals placed CF Adam Eaton (knee sprain) on the 10-day DL and recalled OF Rafael Bautista from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday.
2. New York 1B Lucas Duda (hyperextended left elbow) is playing rehab games in the minors this weekend and could come off the DL on Monday.
3. New York OF Curtis Granderson is 1-for-23 over his last six games, dropping his batting average to .133.