-1745819772711.png){kind=logo}
NEW YORK – For the fifth time this season, the Nationals enter the final game of a series needing a win to avoid a sweep. They’ve been swept twice: by the Blue Jays in the second series of the regular season and by the Cardinals last month. They’ll need to beat the Mets this afternoon to avoid a third sweep and a five-game losing streak.
Michael Soroka will take the mound for his eighth start with a 3-3 record, 4.86 ERA and 1.108 WHIP. The right-hander is coming off a dominant performance when he outdueled Patrick Corbin in his return to Nats Park with six shutout innings and seven strikeouts against the Rangers.
Soroka is 4-1 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.105 WHIP in seven career starts against the Mets. He’s been even better at Citi Field, where he’s 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and 1.114 WHIP in four starts.
Meanwhile, the Nats offense will have to deal with Kodai Senga and his “ghost” forkball. The right-hander is 6-3 with a 1.59 ERA that ranks second in the major leagues. He has given up more than two runs in an outing only once this season. When he last faced the Nats on April 25 in D.C., he held them to two runs over six innings. However, the Nats did win that game.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 1:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (out-of-market only) MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 87 degrees, wind 12 mph from left to right
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
2B Luis García Jr.
1B Nathaniel Lowe
DH Josh Bell
RF Alex Call
3B José Tena
C Keibert Ruiz
CF Robert Hassell III
RHP Michael Soroka
METS
SS Francisco Lindor
LF Brandon Nimmo
RF Juan Soto
1B Pete Alonso
2B Jeff McNeil
DH Starling Marte
3B Brett Baty
CF Tyrone Taylor
C Francisco Alvarez
RHP Kodai Senga
