The New York Mets get back to business after Jacob deGrom‘s masterpiece gave them a 6-0 victory over the Washington Nationals in game one of their weekend series. Two former first-round picks headline the pitching matchup for the middle game set for a 4:10 p.m. ET start from Citi Field.
All smiles. ? pic.twitter.com/aoLuYebrbc
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 24, 2021
The weather will be perfect for baseball once the game starts, and the Mets have desperately needed some good weather. Plenty of their games have been postponed, and the ones they have played in are usually in ugly conditions. The offense got themselves going a little bit, thanks to deGrom’s help, on Friday, and today is a good opportunity for them to break out even more.
We saw the difference getting Brandon Nimmo back at the top of the order made during last night’s game. Nimmo three hits and four RBI’s we welcomed with open arms after the Mets were 1-for-9 in the leadoff spot while he was nursing a hip injury.
As for the Nationals, they were dominated by one of the greatest pitchers of all time. deGrom had them flailing, and they went hitless for the last 19 batters that stepped to the plate. Erick Fedde gave the Nats all they could by allowing three runs in five-inning but only late 90s Pedro Martinez could have competed with deGrom last night.
Pitching Matchups
Marcus Stroman and his stellar 0.90 ERA takes the mound after hurling eight terrific innings during his last start against the Colorado Rockies. He only has 11 strikeouts in 20 innings but is in the 75th percentile in chase rate. Stroman has also been a master at limiting hard contact as batters only have a .186 wOBA against him.
Joe Ross is the Nationals starter and is coming off a horrid start against the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed 10 runs in 4.1 innings after having two scoreless starts to begin his season. Ross has struggled against the Mets with a 5.73 ERA in 12 games.
Matchups To Lookout For
Joe Ross vs. Michael Conforto: 6-for-13 (.462), Double, Home Run, 2 Strikeouts
Joe Ross vs. Brandon Nimmo: 5-for-7 (.714), 3 Walks, Strikeout
Marcus Stroman vs. Josh Harrison: 3-for-7 (.429), Triple, Walk, Strikeout