Sunday, September 24, 2017 • 1:10 p.m.
Citi Field • Flushing, N.Y.
RHP Max Scherzer (15-6, 2.59) vs. RHP Jacob deGrom (15-9, 3.55)
SNY • WOR 710 AM • 104.3 WAXQ-FM HD 2 • ESPN 1050

New York is 3-7 in its last 10 games. New York is 34-42 at Citi Field this year. The Mets fell to 2-8 in extra inning games (1-5 at home) and 19-23 in one-run games. New York is a season high-tying 22 games under .500. The Mets are 14-31 during the day.

METS LINEUP

  1. Norichika Aoki – RF
  2. Jose Reyes – 2B
  3. Brandon Nimmo – LF
  4. Travis d’Arnaud – C
  5. Dominic Smith – 1B
  6. Phillip Evans – 3B
  7. Amed Rosario – SS
  8. Juan Lagares – CF
  9. Jacob deGrom – RHP

NATIONALS LINEUP

  1. Trea Turner – SS
  2. Alejandro De Aza – LF
  3. Daniel Murphy – 2B
  4. Anthony Rendon – 3B
  5. Howie Kendrick – 1B
  6. Victor Robles – RF
  7. Michael A. Taylor – CF
  8. Jose Lobaton – C
  9. Max Scherzer – RHP

Jacob deGrom is 15-9 in 30 games and 195.1 innings with a 3.55 ERA, 3.55 FIP and 1.198 WHIP. He is coming off a strong start of seven innings allowing one run on five hits and two walks. The last time he allowed only one run in an outing was against the Nationals in August where he held them to a run over 7.2 innings with five hits and only one walk while striking out 10. The Nationals have the following numbers against deGrom:

  • Rendon 0-for-16, 4 BB, 5 K
  • Taylor 0-for-17, 1 BB, 10 K
  • Zimmerman 5-for-16, 2 HR, 6 K
  • Kendrick 2-for-17
  • Werth 1-for-15, 2 BB, 5 K
  • Turner 4-for-12, 2B, BB
  • Murphy 3-for-12
  • Wieters 3-for-12, HR

The Mets draw Max Scherzer who is 15-6 in 29 games and 191.1 innings with a 2.59 ERA, 2.94 FIP and 0.915 WHIP. He leads the league in strikeouts (253), in WHIP and H/9 (5.7). He is coming off a strong rebound start from his previous one. In the rebound he allowed two runs over seven innings, in the two starts before that he allowed 11 runs over 12.0 innings. Earlier this season he allowed eight runs in 14.0 innings in back-to-back starts against the Mets and then he faced the Mets again in June and allowed one run in eight innings. The Mets have the following numbers on Max:

  • Cabrera 14-for-61, 4 2B, HR, 3 BB
  • Reyes 9-for-26, 2B, HR, BB
  • d’Arnaud 3-for-15, 3B, 7 K
  • Flores 0-for-14, BB
  • Aoki 2-for-9, 2 BB
  • Lagares 1-for-11, BB
  • Plawecki 2-for-12, 4 K
  • Nimmo 1-for-5
  • deGrom 1-for-3

NOTES:

New York is hitting .276 this month, ranking third in the majors. The Mets are second in the majors with a .351 OBP and have 45 doubles this month, the fourth-most in the majors. New York is fifth with a .800 OPS. José Reyes is tied for seventh in the NL with 15 RBI this month.

The Mets have hit 217 home runs this year, one shy of the franchise record (218) set last year. This is the first time in team history the Mets have hit 200 or more homers in consecutive seasons. The Mets are second in the NL and eighth in the majors with 217 home runs.

Jacob deGrom has career highs in wins (15), strikeouts (228), innings (195.1) and today will be his career-high 31st start. DeGrom is tied for fourth in the NL in wins…Only 14 pitchers in franchise history have 16 or more wins, last by R.A. Dickey (20 wins in 2012). DeGrom ranks 12th in team history with his 228 strikeouts in a single-season. Dickey is 11th (230 strikeouts i 2012), David Cone is 10th (233 in 1990), Tom Seaver is ninth (235 in 1976). He is fifth in the majors in strikeouts this year. The last Mets pitcher to toss 200.0 or more innings was Bartolo Colon (202.1 innings) in 2014. DeGrom ranks ninth in the majors in innings.

Let’s Go Mets!