My Team - Nationals versus Mets

Proposed starters -

Tuesday: Zimmermann versus Hefner
Wednesday: Haren versus Gee
Thursday: Strasburg (?) versus Marcum

(Starters subject to change)

(Long sigh). As of Tuesday morning, the Nationals are a game under .500. Over the past weekend, the Braves showed face-to-face that they are better than Washington (at least at this point).

Yep, the Nationals' roster has been hindered by injury and ineffectiveness. The road to getting well starts with this upcoming three-game home series with New York's Metropolitans. The Mets were swept in Miami, on the heels of New York's four-game sweep of the cross-town Yankees.

The Mets do have threats. David Wright is one of the best two-way third basemen in the game. Lucas Duda, John Buck and Ike Davis aren't high-average hitters, but all have plus power. Either can break open a late, close game with a homer if Washington isn't careful. Daniel Murphy is a productive hitter at the top of the order. This lineup is decent.

The Mets catch the ball OK. SS Ruben Tejada leads the team with 8 errors (but he's on the 15-day disabled list). The team doesn't have a lot of range, but they normally catch the balls they get to. They have former National Rick Ankiel in center field, so I wouldn't expect Washington to take extra bases against his arm.

Hefner struggled in his last appearance against Washington. Gee, conversely, has had success against the Nats. Marcum hasn't pitched against Washington this year, but is struggling overall in '13 (1.37 WHIP and .293 BAA on grass).

I guess Nationals win on Tuesday night, with Zimmermann returning to his stellar form. Wednesday, I suspect Haren is the "get-well plan" for the Mets' lineup, with New York slugging its way to a win. Thursday is a toss-up. If Strasburg can't go, his replacement (Zach Duke?) could be called on to shut down New York. It may happen. It might not.

The Nationals need to start taking series, week after week, to get back in the hunt for a playoff spot. It's not "early" anymore. It looks like they're not gonna score much the rest of the way, so pitching and defense will have to carry the team through September. Go get 'em, guys.