The Mets went a dismal 4-15 last season against their division rival, Nationals.
If the Mets want to be a superior team this season, they must do better against their rival from D.C. who’s considered not only the top team in the NL East but maybe the best in baseball.
“This is a team we did not play well against last year, and certainly we have to play well against,” Mets skipper Terry Collins said before the Opening Day game yesterday. (Adam Rubin, ESPN)
Monday’s opening day win was a great start to prove that. The Mets might be facing the Nats at a good time since Washington is missing some key position players in outfielders Jayson Werth, Denard Span and third baseman Anthony Rendon.
Asked about that, Collins added: “Well they’re pretty good irregardless. But it’s always nice if Werth’s out. Rendon had a tremendous year. Span is really difficult to get out. So if you’re going to play them, now would be a good time.”
GM Sandy Alderson mentioned that the Mets series vs Nats is big cause it’s a division game but he also added that first impressions are crucial too.
“I thought the games in spring training were important, just to begin to kind of change, as I’ve said before, the perception of things,” Alderson added.
“We didn’t play well against the Nationals last year. We had a very poor record. We need to go about changing that.”
The Mets were also outhomered by the Nats 26-7 in 2014. Collins also said that the Mets just made bad pitches over the heart of the plate.
The Mets started out in 2014 getting swepted by the Nats in Citi Field which set the tone for the overall games between the two. The Mets took the Opener from the Nats in D.C. and hope that it will trend into a better showing vs their division foe.
