New York @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 1, 2010 ) NY Mets 1, Washington 2
With one pitchers' duel already in the books in the series, two promising rookies are prepared to take the mound when the Washington Nationals and New York Mets continue their four-game set tonight at Nationals Park.
The Nationals opened the series with a 2-1 victory Thursday, winning it on Ryan Zimmerman's sacrifice fly in the ninth for their 12th comeback victory and the eighth in their last at-bat.
Washington's offensive struggles continued Thursday - they've scored 56 runs in their last 19 games - but New York's bats were just as quiet, as the Mets didn't muster any extra-base hits and left seven runners on base.
The Nationals hope 25-year-old right-hander Luis Atilano (6-4, 4.33 ERA) can keep New York's offense off its game tonight.
Atilano shut out the Mets for 5 1/3 innings May 10 at Citi Field, holding them to five hits and two walks to earn the win in a 3-2 victory. But New York knocked him around 10 days later, dinging him for seven runs - six earned - on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings in a 10-7 Mets victory.
The surprising rookie hit a rough patch at the start of June, losing three consecutive starts, but he has recovered nicely in his last two outings. He snapped the streak with 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball against the Royals on June 22, and allowed three runs - two earned - over seven innings in a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
His counterpart tonight will be 23-year-old lefty Jonathon Niese (5-2, 3.84 ERA), who has established himself as one of the Mets' most consistent starters, especially in the past month.
Niese is 4-0 with a 2.67 ERA in five starts since returning from the disabled list June 5. In his last trip to the mound, he held Minnesota to four hits and three walks over six scoreless innings, earning the win in a 5-2 victory.
Niese hasn't had too many rough outings this year, but one of them was against the Nationals. He allowed six runs on six hits and walked five over 4 1/3 innings May 11 at Citi Field, taking a no-decision in the Mets' 8-6 victory.
The Mets have lost three of four overall and five of their last six on the road to fall two games behind Atlanta in the National League East.
It hasn't helped that they've been without center fielder Angel Pagan for most of the past week. Pagan strained his oblique muscle June 23 against Detroit and has played sparingly since - he started and got two at-bats Tuesday against Florida and pinch ran and stayed in to play defense Thursday.
Pagan was riding a 10-game hitting streak going into the game in which he was injured.
Now the Mets are also missing shortstop Jose Reyes, who sat out for the second night in a row Thursday with stiffness in his lower back. Reyes hit .372 with five homers, 11 RBIs and 21 runs scored in the 20 games prior to his injury.
The Nationals have been a thorn in the Mets' side, having taken six of nine so far in the season series. Washington had lost six of seven before Thursday's win.