The Nationals avoided a sweep with a dominant 7-0 victory over the Cubs on Thursday afternoon, finishing their six-game home stand with a 3-3 record. Cade Cavalli carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished with eight scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and two walks while striking out 10.
Abimelec Ortiz provided the biggest swing with a three-run home run, his fourth of the season and third in four games. The win improved the Nats to 60-63, three games below .500 and five games out of a Wild Card spot.
Starting tonight against the Mets, the Nats’ next 17 games are against teams not in playoff position, with the only club above .500 in that stretch being the Marlins, sitting at 62-60. If the Nats are going to shock the baseball world and be a playoff club this season, their best opportunity to throw their name firmly back in the mix begins now.
Despite their record, the Mets recently completed a 6-3 road trip and have produced one of baseball’s best offenses since the beginning of August. The Mets lost their final two games in Atlanta, including a 6-3 defeat on Wednesday, but Luis Torrens, Luis Robert Jr., and Bo Bichette all homered in the series finale. The Nats currently lead the season series 4-3 over the Mets, with two series still to be played.
Game One – Friday 7:10 PM ET
WSH: LHP Andrew Alvarez (2-3, 3.76 ERA)
NYM: RHP Robert Stock (0-2, 10.13 ERA)
Alvarez looked sharp in his last start against the Reds, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over 5 ⅓ innings. He extended his home-run-free streak to 51 ⅔ innings and will look to keep it going tonight against a Mets lineup with some pop.
The 36-year-old Stock struggled badly in his last start against Pittsburgh, allowing eight runs on nine hits and five walks over three innings in a 9-0 loss. He had previously held Miami to one run across five innings in his first major-league appearance since undergoing thoracic outlet surgery, but his command disappeared as he became fatigued against the Pirates.
Game Two – Saturday 4:10 PM ET
WSH: TBD
NYM: LHP Sean Manaea (4-5, 4.13 ERA)
The Nationals have not yet announced a starter for Saturday afternoon. Trevor Williams or Brad Lord could be options based on the rotation schedule, but the Nats will likely wait until after Friday’s game before confirming their plans.
Manaea delivered his best start of the season Sunday against Pittsburgh, allowing one run over seven innings while striking out 11 in an 11-1 Mets victory. The veteran left-hander has allowed two runs or fewer in four consecutive starts and has recorded a 3.03 ERA with 32 strikeouts across 29 ⅔ innings since the All-Star break.
Game Three – Sunday 1:40 PM ET
WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (2-6, 5.79 ERA)
NYM: RHP Christian Scott (3-3, 3.45 ERA)
Irvin struggled in his last start against the Cubs, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks over 3 ⅓ innings. He needed 88 pitches to record 10 outs and took the loss in Chicago’s 8-6 victory. Irvin will look to provide more length in the series finale for the Nats.
Scott allowed four runs over four innings against the Braves on Monday, surrendering two home runs while striking out six, though the Mets still earned an 8-5 victory behind an early offensive outburst. The Nats will look to rough up Scott in a similar manner in the series finale.