Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Nationals and New York Mets split the first two games of their three-game weekend series at Citi Field in New York, NY. The Mets took game one on Friday night as Matt Harvey was outstanding and Stephen Strasburg struggled. The Nationals were able to rebound on Saturday afternoon and even the series at 1-1.
Sunday afternoon game will feature two opposites on the season and will feature a battle of an undefeated pitcher against a pitcher who has yet to earn a win on the short season.
The Nationals will call upon Jordan Zimmermann. The 26-year-old threw his first nine-inning complete game on only 103 pitches on Monday against the Miami Marlins, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Zimmermann has posted an undefeated record of 3-0 this season with a 2.45 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 22 innings. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA against the Mets over his career.
A question mark for the Nationals is the health of Ryan Zimmerman. The third baseman has not been in the lineup on Saturday afternoon, as he was getting a MRI on his hamstring. It is likely he will once again not be in the lineup on Sunday for the series finale. Chad Tracy got the start at third during Saturday’s tilt.
Dillon Gee gets the call for the Mets. Gee showed some improvement in his last start, but has had a rough start to the 2013 season. The 26-year-old has been unable to earn victory this season, posting a 0-3 record with a 8.36 ERA and eight strikeouts over 14 innings of work. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA against the Mets over his career.
Fun fact: The Mets are 1-7 when someone other than Harvey or Jonathon Niese has started.
First pitch for the series finale is set for 1:10 p.m. eastern time on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field.
Justin Soderberg is a Boston Red Sox writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, ”Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.
