New York @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 3, 2010 ) NY Mets 5, Washington 6
The Washington Nationals might not be winning a lot of games - only four teams in the National League have won fewer - but they sure have a knack for making things interesting.
With Saturday's wild 6-5 victory over the New York Mets, the Nationals have played 30 one-run games, matching the Chicago Cubs for the most in the majors.
Unfortunately for the Nationals, they're only 14-16 in those close contests, but they've already claimed one-run victories in two of the first three games of their series with the Mets, which concludes this afternoon at Nationals Park.
The latest came in especially dramatic fashion, with the Nationals scoring three runs off Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez in the bottom of the ninth for their 14th comeback victory and fourth walk-off win of the season.
The six runs Saturday matched the Nationals’ total from the past three games combined and marked only the third time in 18 games they've scored more than five runs.
They'll try to do it again today against 35-year-old rookie left-hander Hisanori Takahashi, who will make his ninth start after beginning the season with 15 appearances out of the Mets' bullpen.
Since joining the starting rotation six weeks ago, Takahashi (6-3, 4.24 ERA) has alternated two strong starts with two bad ones. If that trend holds, he is due for a good outing today after allowing 12 runs in 9 2/3 innings over his last two starts.
Takahashi made four scoreless relief appearances against the Nationals early in the season, allowing two hits over 4 1/3 innings, but he has not made a start against them.
The Nationals send out 26-year-old right-hander Craig Stammen, who has three quality starts in his last four outings but has only one win to show for it. That win came Tuesday at Atlanta, where he held the Braves to two runs on five hits over 7 1/3 innings in a 7-2 victory.
Stammen (2-2, 5.13 ERA) has faced the Mets once this season, allowing four runs on six hits over five innings in Washington's 6-4 victory May 12 at Citi Field. He did not factor in the decision. In four career starts against New York, he is 1-2 with a 5.24 ERA.
No current Mets player has more than10 at-bats against Stammen, but Angel Pagan (5-for-8) and David Wright (3-for-9) have had success against him. Wright had two hits Saturday, giving him multiple hits in eight of the last 12 games. He is hitting .469 during that stretch.
The Mets probably will be without shortstop Jose Reyes for a fifth consecutive game as the speedy leadoff man continues to nurse an oblique injury suffered before Wednesday's game in San Juan, Puerto Rico.