Sunday, August 27, 2017 • 1:35 p.m. & 8:08 p.m.
Nationals Park • Washington, D.C.
Game 2: RHP Seth Lugo (5-3, 4.85) vs. RHP Tanner Roark (10-8, 4.64)
ESPN • WOR 710 AM • 104.3 WAXQ-FM HD 2 • ESPN 1050 AM
The Mets bring their future and Sunday baseball playing talents to the national stage tonight as they closeout a four game series with the Nationals. They beat the Nats 6-5 earlier this afternoon thanks to late-game heroics by Amed Rosario who is getting the night off. His eighth-inning solo home run gave the Mets the lead after Asdrubal Cabrera and Wilmer Flores hit homers earlier in the game. AJ Ramos nailed down the six-out save.
METS LINEUP
- Jose Reyes – SS
- Juan Lagares – CF
- Brandon Nimmo – LF
- Wilmer Flores – 3B
- Dominic Smith – 1B
- Travis Taijeron – RF
- Kevin Plawecki – C
- Gavin Cecchini – 2B
- Seth Lugo – RHP
NATIONALS LINEUP
- Alejandro De Aza – LF
- Wilmer Difo – SS
- Daniel Murphy – 2B
- Anthony Rendon – 3B
- Adam Lind – 1B
- Michael Taylor – CF
- Andrew Stevenson – RF
- Jose Lobaton – C
- Tanner Roark – RHP
Seth Lugo returns from a right shoulder impingement and is on a pitch count of about 70-75 pitches. He is 5-3 over 12 games and 11 starts over 68.2 innings with a 4.85 ERA, 4.47 FIP and 1.413 WHIP. Before the shoulder injury was announced he was in the midst of a disastrous run allowing 17 runs, 16 earned over 22.0 innings (6.55 ERA) including six homers. Opponents were getting on base at a .340 clip during that time. He also has struggled against the Nationals this year losing both starts allowing 10 runs, nine earned in 11.2 innings off 17 hits and four walks. The Nationals have the following numbers against Seth:
- Murphy 4-for-10, 2B
- Rendon 1-for-6, BB
- Lind 1-for-6
- Lobaton 3-for-4, HR, 2 BB
- Taylor 1-for-6
- Zimmerman 1-for-6
- Difo 1-for-3
The Mets bats draw Tanner Roark who is 10-8 over 25 games and 24 starts with 143.2 innings of work posting a 4.64 ERA, 4.29 FIP and 1.364 WHIP. He has been better than his season numbers and pitching consistently in the month of August allowing 10 runs, nine earned over 25.0 innings (3.24 ERA). The last time he faced the Mets was back in April where he allowed three runs off seven hits and three walks in 6.2 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:
- Lagares 2-for-14, 2B, BB
- d’Arnaud 1-for-13, 2 BB
- Flores 2-for-10, 2B
- Reyes 1-for-8, 2 BB
- Cabrera 2-for-8, 2B, BB
- Reynolds 1-for-2, BB
- Plawecki 1-for-1
NOTES:
Today is New York’s second doubleheader this year with one more scheduled on September 25 vs. Atlanta at Citi Field. The Mets swept a doubleheader from the Braves earlier this year on June 10 in Atlanta. The last time the Mets and Nationals played a doubleheader was on October 3, 2015 at Citi Field which Washington swept. The last time the Mets swept a doubleheader from Washington/Montreal was July 27, 1999 at Shea Stadium.
New York is 3-8 in its last 11 series against Washington. New York is 12-13 at Nationals Park since 2015, including 3-4 this year. The Mets have hit 28 home runs in their last 19 games at Nationals Park.
The Mets Double-A affiliate in the Eastern League qualified for the postseason as the Wild Card last night. Binghamton is 77-54 this year and has gone to the playoffs in four of the last five years.
Matt Harvey went 4.2 innings for Binghamton (AA) at Portland last night. He allowed five hits, five runs, three earned, issued one walk, struck out two and hit one batter. He threw 72 pitches, 47 pitches. Harvey is 0-0 with 4.63 ERA (six earned runs/11.2 innings) with eight strikeouts in four rehab starts. Harvey has been on the Disabled List since June 15 with a stress injury to the scapula bone in his right shoulder.
Let’s Go Mets!
