8/5/20 Game Preview: New York Mets at Washington Nationals

We live in a world where the Marlins are in first place. I know, that’s like 3.984th on the list of weirdest things in life right now, but the Miami Marlins, who just returned from about a week of quarantine and basically had to replace half their team, are in first place at 3-1. I never thought I would ever say this on August 5th of any year, but the Mets will be looking to stay close to the first place Marlins as the Mets take on the Nationals tonight in Washington, DC.

Take note that this game, for some reason, is a 6:05 ET start. I’m actually quite surprised that more games aren’t 6:05 starts this season. I mean, do we have to wait for people to get to the ballpark? Are we waiting for people to get to their televisions from their long commutes? Most commutes are from the dining room to the living room these days. We can schedule these games at three in the morning for all we care. But yeah … 6:05 PM.

How To Enjoy

Again … 6:05 start!!! Your friends on SNY will be broadcasting the game from Citi Field, while you can catch the game on WCBS 880 and 92.7 WQBU. If you’re a Mets fan stuck in Washington, you can catch the game on MASN2 (because MASN One is capitalizing on the success of the first place Marlins as the face the Orioles), or on 106.7 The Fan on terrestrial radio. Also note that if you are anywhere else in the country, you can catch this game on MLB Network.

The Pitchers

Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer, teammates with Detroit from 2010-2014, face either other tonight and are basically the same pitcher. They’re both 0-1. And W/L record is what counts right?

Of course it does. But maybe Scherzer’s 2.84 ERA, 14.9 K/9, and 1.263 WHIP give him a slight edge over the 13.50 ERA, 9 K/9, and a WHIP of three. (Three!!!) I haven’t even mentioned Scherzer’s 6.4 H/9 as opposed to Porcello’s 18 hits per nine innings. (Eighteen!!!!!) Scherzer does have seven walks to Porcello’s six, but in just over double the innings.

The Lineups

First the home team (since they posted their lineup to Twitter first) …

Juan Soto.#ChildishBambino // #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/MlCK38Ndq8

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 5, 2020

Note the return of Juan Soto to the lineup after contracting COVID-19.

And after hours of trying to figure out if they have any infielders left, here’s the lineup for the Mets:

Tonight’s starters. #LGM pic.twitter.com/lS6txM8qRo

— New York Mets (@Mets) August 5, 2020

So you have Andres Gimenez at SS, Luis Guillorme at 2B, and Billy Hamilton making his Mets debut in center. Born out of necessity as it might be, this might be the best up the middle defensive trio the Mets have trotted out in years.

Game Notes

• As mentioned above, Scherzer and Porcello were teammates with the Tigers from 2010-2014. In that stretch, the Tigers were 447-363 in that span, and made the playoffs four times. Scherzer was 82-37 with an ERA of 3.52 and a WHIP of 1.19 during that span, while Porcello was 62-54 with an ERA of 4.37 and a WHIP of 1.36. The Tigers made the playoffs in four of those five seasons.
• Michael Conforto is 10 for 31 (.323) with four home runs and five RBI lifetime against Scherzer.
• Howie Kendrick is 10 for 31 (also .323) against Rick Porcello lifetime, albeit with zero home runs and 10 RBI.
• The Mets acquired Ariel Jurado from Texas for a PTBNL and cash considerations. (The Mets will consider giving Texas cash.) Jurado is 6’2″ 240 lb so he takes over for Brooks Pounders as team bouncer.
• Did I mention that tonight’s game is a 6:05 ET start?