For the fifth time this spring, the Mets face the Nationals in another exhibition matchup. They square off at Tradition Field at 1:10 PM. Here’s what I’m looking for in today’s game…
Jacob deGrom, and what he does against the Nationals.
Jake is making his fifth start of the spring, and it’s all gone really well for him to this point. He’s facing Washington for the second time this March, and he’s scheduled to face the same Nationals in the second game of the regular season. The lineup he’ll be facing today somewhat resembles what he’ll be facing when the regular season begins, but I wonder how Jake is going handle the Nationals and their eyes today and whether or not he tries to give them a different look.
Today’s lineup is close to the final product.
With the exception of maybe Ruben Tejada, today’s lineup and defensive alignment is likely to be what’s on display in Washington nine days from now. 1-5 in the lineup alternates lefty and righty, which is pretty much what the club envisioned heading into the season. Of course, if Daniel Murphy is ready for Opening Day, this could change, but that’s not clear at the moment.
What’s going on with their left-handed relievers?
The good news for the Mets is every option they have in camp for the left-handed relief jobs have pitched better lately. The bad news is, none of them are differentiating themselves from the contest.
Scott Rice and Sean Gilmartin are scheduled to pitch today, and Dario Alvarez is also listed as a reserve. That Gilmartin is going on back-to-back days could mean he is starting to pull away with one of the jobs, but there’s still a week’s worth of games to decide how this will look, plus the possibility the Mets make an acquisition to fill one of the other jobs.
Today’s game can be seen locally on WPIX 11 or MLB.tv.
Just Mets 