Game 124: Nats at Mets

The Nationals open a nine-game road trip this evening, with Andrew Alvarez taking the mound at Citi Field

NEW YORK – The Nationals just endured through one of their toughest stretches of the season, a 14-game run against mostly NL contenders (plus the Reds) that overlapped the trade deadline. They went 5-9 (with three of those wins coming over the Reds) and that dropped them from 55-54 and two games out of the wild-card race to 60-63 and five games out of the race.

The good news: They’re now about to begin what (on paper) looks like one of their most-forgiving stretches of the season: 17 consecutive games against teams near or below .500. If there’s any long-shot hope of climbing back into the race, now is the time to do it. And it all starts tonight at Citi Field against a Mets team that is among the biggest disappointments in baseball, owners of the sixth-worst record in the majors despite the highest projected payroll in baseball.

Andrew Alvarez starts tonight’s series opener, facing New York for the second time this season and the third time in his young career. The left-hander has been good each of his last two starts, holding the Phillies to two runs over 6 1/3 innings and the Reds to one run over 5 1/3 innings. This is his opportunity to stake his claim to a rotation spot on a more permanent basis, if he can continue to thrive.

Blake Butera’s lineup, despite the losses of Luis García Jr., Curtis Mead and James Wood, has found its groove again, scoring at least six runs in each of the three games against the Cubs. That group will try to keep it going tonight against 36-year-old Robert Stock, who makes only his sixth career MLB start tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: Nationals TV (channel listings)
Radio: 106.7 FM
Weather: Mostly clear, 81 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
1B Abimelec Ortiz
DH Brady House
RF Daylen Lile
C Keibert Ruiz
LF José Tena
2B Nasim Nuñez
3B Jorbit Vivas
CF Jacob Young

RHP Andrew Alvarez

METS
LF A.J. Ewing
SS Francisco Lindor
3B Bo Bichette
CF Luis Robert Jr.
RF Carson Benge
DH Francisco Alvarez
2B Marcus Semien
1B Jared Young
C Luis Torrens

RHP Robert Stock