Mat Latos (7-2, 4.74 ERA) and the Washington Nationals (85-58) go up against Rafael Montero (0-0, 4.63 ERA) and the New York Mets (76-67) in the first of a three-game division series at Nationals Park. The game gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Sep. 12 and will air on MASN and SNY.
In his most recent outing, Latos pitched 0.1 inning, allowing zero runs and striking out one in a 5-4 victory over the Braves. Daniel Murphy (.344, 86 Rs, 25 HRs, 102 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI. The Mets were also victorious the last time Montero pitched. He went 4.1 innings, allowing three runs, striking out four and walking four in a 5-3 victory over the Reds. Yoenis Cespedes (.293, 63 Rs, 30 HRs, 78 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and five RBIs.
Notes
New York has won 51% (28-27) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Washington has won 61% (37-24) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Mets are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 10 runs. The Nationals have a 0-3 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Nationals are 64-15. The Mets have a 50-11 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 27th, New York sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 571 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 678.
Ranking 21st, New York is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.730). Washington ranks in the top half at 11th with an OPS of .757.
When the Mets allow at least one home run, they are 36-48. When the Nationals allow one or more homers, they have a 49-46 record.
