New York @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 28, 2013 ) NY Mets 1, Washington 14
The Washington Nationals are starting to resemble the team many envisioned prior to the season. Winners of eight of their last nine, the Nationals look to continue their hot hand on Friday, when they begin a three-game set against the visiting New York Mets. Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth belted three-run homers and Bryce Harper also went deep to extend his hitting streak to 11 contests as Washington breezed to a 9-0 triumph over lowly Miami on Thursday.
The late surge has put the Nationals within 6 1/2 games of Cincinnati for the second National League wild-card spot. New York salvaged a split of its four-game series with Philadelphia by cruising to an 11-3 victory on Thursday afternoon. Daniel Murphy, who collected four hits and two RBIs in the rout, has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 contests.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), MASN2 (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Dillon Gee (9-9, 3.69 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Jordan Zimmermann (15-7, 3.32)
Gee fell to 2-1 in August after yielding four runs on 10 hits over six innings in an 11-3 loss to Detroit on Sunday. The 27-year-old has enjoyed success versus the Nationals but fell to 6-2 in 10 starts after a tough outing on July 27. Gee allowed three homers and four runs overall in seven frames en route to a 4-1 setback.
Zimmermann improved to 3-1 this month after permitting two runs in 7 2/3 innings of a 7-2 victory over Kansas City on Saturday. The 27-year-old was battered in his last outing versus the Mets, yielding five runs in 6 2/3 frames as New York cruised to an 11-0 triumph. The loss dropped Zimmermann to 0-2 with a no-decision versus the division rival in 2013.
WALK-OFFS
1. Harper has enjoyed success versus Gee, homering among his three hits in five career at-bats.
2. New York LF Eric Young Jr. drove in three runs with a triple on Thursday. Young is 14-for-43 lifetime against the Nationals.
3. Washington has won the last three contests versus New York and seven of 12 in the season series.
PREDICTION: Nationals 4, Mets 1