Washington Nationals (8-9) at New York Mets (12-3) LHP Gio Gonzalez (1-1, 2.20) | RHP Zack Wheeler (1-0, 1.29) Tue., April 17 l 7:10 p.m. ET l Game #18 / Road #8 Citi FIeld l Flushing, NY Television: MASN l Radio: 106.7 FM The Fan & Nationals Radio Network Standing: 8-9, 4th place, National League East • Home: 3-7 • Road: 5-2 • Streak: W1 • Last Five: 2-3 • Last Ten: 4-6 WHEN... NATIONALS NEWS OPPONENT Leading after 6.................. 7-1 CRAZY 8th NEW YORK METS Tied after 6 ........................ 0-1 Trailing, 6-1, heading into the eighth inning, the Nationals sent 12 batters to the plate, eventually scoring Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy spent seven Trailing after 6 .................. 1-7 six runs on five hits with three walks and one hit batter to take the 7-6 lead...Howie Kendrick clubbed a solo seasons (2008-15) with the New York Mets...Washington’s home run in the ninth inning to put Washington ahead for good, 8-6. hitting coach Kevin Long served as New York’s hitting coach Leading after 7.................. 7-0 from 2015-17 and bench coach Chip Hale served as their • The five-run deficit was the Nationals’ largest deficit overcome to win since 2016 when they overcame third base coach from 2010-11. Tied after 7 ........................ 0-2 a five-run deficit on June 5 at CIN (Trailing 5-0 after B2nd, won, 10-9)...In 2017, Washington overcame Trailing after 7 .................. 1-7 a four-run deficit three times. THE SERIES Since 2011, the Nationals are 50-19 at Citi Field and have Leading after 8.................. 8-0 LEADING MAN won nine of their last 11 games at New York since the start Tied after 8 ........................ 0-2 Bryce Harper has homered in back-to-back games and over his last three games, is 5-for-9 (.556) with one of 2017. Trailing after 8 .................. 0-7 double, two homers, four RBI, five walks, one stolen base and four runs scored. 2018 / BY THE NUMBERS Extra innings: .................... 0-2 • Harper leads Major League Baseball in home runs (8), walks (21), OPS (1.265), and RBI (T1st, 17)... 2018 W-L ...............................1-3 (0-3 in D.C., 1-0 in N.Y.) He ranks among National League hitters in runs scored (1st, 17), slugging percentage (2nd, .778), and Streak ............................................................................W1 Scoring first........................ 7-5 on-base percentage (3rd, .487). Aggregate Score / 2018 ...................Nationals 17, Mets 23 Opponent scores first ........ 1-4 • Of his 17 hits this season, nine have been extra base hits (2B, 8 HR)...Moreover, Harper has 21 walks and Shutouts ........................... 2-0 just 11 strikeouts through the first 17 games of the season. ALL-TIME SERIES / BY THE NUMBERS W-L / Nationals (2005-present) ............................131-113 Scoring fewer than 3 ......... 2-5 APRIL POWER W-L / Home (2005-present) ......................................55-66 W-L / Nationals Park (2008-present) ........................48-45 Scoring 3 or more .............. 6-4 In 482 at bats spanning 138 career games in March/April, Bryce Harper has posted a .654 slugging percent- W-L / Away (2005-present) .......................................76-47 Scoring 5 or more .............. 5-3 age and a 1.091 OPS...Those marks are the best in Major League history, ahead of the likes of Babe Ruth (2nd W-L / Franchise (Expos/Nationals) ........................429-412 with .638 SLG and 1.090 OPS) and Ted Williams (3rd in OPS, 1.088). Series opener..................... 4-2 • With eight home runs, Harper is just one homer short of his personal career-mark for home runs in 2018 AGAINST THE METS Series finale ...................... 1-4 March/April (9, 3x: 2017, 2016, 2013). DATE RESULT WIN-LOSS-SAVE • The Nationals record (2005-pres.) for home runs in March/April is 11 by Ryan Zimmerman in 2017...The 4/5vsNYM L, 2-8 deGrom-Strasburg-None Home series W-L-T ......... 1-2-0 team record for most home runs in a single month is held by Harper (13, May 2015). 4/7vsNYM L, 2-3 Robles-Kintzler-Familia Road series W-L-T .......... 1-1-0 4/8vsNYM L, 5-6 Lugo-Kintzler-Rhame Total series W-L-T........... 2-3-0 4/16atNYM W, 8-6 Cole-Ramos-Madson WALK THIS WAY 4/17atNYM Home series sweeps .......... 0-1 As a team, the Nationals offense leads Major League Baseball with 84 walks...The next closest teams are the 4/18atNYM Road series sweeps ............ 1-0 New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies with 69...As mentioned, Bryce Harper leads MLB with 21 walks, 7/12atNYM 7/13atNYM Total series sweeps ........... 1-1 while Trea Turner is tied for third in MLB with 14. 7/14atNYM START ME UP 7/15atNYM At home ............................. 3-7 7/31vsNYM On the road ....................... 5-2 Derek Lilliquist’s starting pitching staff leads the National League (2nd in MLB) with 114 strikeouts and 8/1vsNYM ranks tied for second in the National League (T7th in MLB) with a 3.38 ERA...Additionally, the staff ranks in 8/24atNYM After day off ...................... 0-1 the National League in opp. AVG (1st, .216), hits per 9.0 IP (1st, 7.28), opp. OBP (2nd, .273), WHIP (3rd, 1.10), 8/25atNYM strikeout-to-walk ratio (3rd, 3.93), strikeouts per 9.0 IP (4th, 10.13), and opp. SLG (5th, .380). 8/26atNYM One-run games ................. 1-3 • Max Scherzer (3rd, 1.33) and Gio Gonzalez (9th, 2.20), rank in the top 10 in ERA in the National League. 9/20vsNYM Two-run games.................. 3-1 • Scherzer paces the NL with 38 strikeouts, while Stephen Strasburg (7th, 26) joins him in the top 10. 9/21vsNYM 9/22vsNYM 9/23vsNYM Come-from-behind wins.........2 DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE BULLPEN Last at-bat W-L ................. 0-3 Nationals relievers have allowed just two of 17 inherited runners to score this season...Their 11.8% inherited DAVE MARTINEZ Walk-off W-L ..................... 0-0 runners scored percent leads the National League and is third in Major League Baseball...They are one of four Nationals manager Dave Martinez was named the seventh field manager in Nationals history on Oct. Facing left-handed SP....... 1-3 teams in MLB to allow fewer than three inherited runners to score. 30, 2017. He joined the Nationals for what will be Facing right-handed SP ... 7-6 • Henry Blanco’s bullpen has also been strong when it comes to striking out batters...Washington’s reliev- ers lead the National League and rank second in Major League Baseball with 11.32 strikeouts per 9.0 IP his 30th season in professional baseball. A 16-year Day games ........................ 4-4 (behind NYY - 13.43)...Their 70 strikeouts rank fourth in the National League. Major League outfielder, Martinez has been a Major Night games...................... 4-5 • Sean Doolittle (T3rd, 16) and Sammy Solís (T9th, 13) rank in the top 10 in strikeouts among NL relievers. League coach for the last 10 seasons, serving as Cubs manager Joe Maddon’s bench coach and right-hand March/April ....................... 8-9 VOTE FOR PEDRO man in Chicago (2015–17) as well as Tampa Bay May ................................... 0-0 Since being recalled on April 2, Pedro Severino has posted a .457 on-base percentage (9 H, 5 BB, 2 HBP)... (2008–14). This is the first Major League managerial June................................... 0-0 He has hit safely in seven of his 10 games played, including six of his last seven games. assignment of Martinez’s career. July .................................... 0-0 • In seven starts, he is hitting .320 (8-for-25) with two doubles, three RBI, five walks, one stolen base and WHAT THEY’RE SAYING August............................... 0-0 three runs scored...He has recorded two multi-hit efforts and driven in runs in three of the eight starts. September/October. ........... 0-0 @chelsea_janes - Washington Post (April 16) FUN IN THE FIRST General clubhouse consensus: Yes it’s only April, but Pre All-Star break .............. 8-9 Washington’s offense has scored at least one run in the first inning in 11 of 17 games...In total, the Nation- yes, that was a big win. Harper on the eighth inning: Post All-Star break ............ 0-0 als have scored 19 runs in the first inning, ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks (16) for the most in Major “It’s huge.” League Baseball. Wearing home whites ........ 1-3 @masnKolko - MASN (April 16) Wearing road greys ............ 4-2 FIVE FINGER DISCOUNTS Make that seven unanswered runs. Kendrick goes Wearing red alternates ...... 1-1 The Nationals lead Major League Baseball with 20 stolen bases...Trea Turner (7) leads the National League yard. Wow. Wearing blue stars & stripes . 1-2 and is tied for first in MLB Dee( Gordon) while Michael A. Taylor (5) is tied for second in the National League Wearing white stars & stripes . 1-1 @masnKerr - MASNSports.com (April 16) and tied for fourth in MLB. • Neither Turner or Taylor have been caught stealing yet in 2018. Ryan Madson on Severino getting Cabrera in 9th: “I When homering .................. 5-6 couldn’t thank him enough,” Madson said of the play. When playing error free ...... 5-4 “I wanted to do a mound visit just to give him a hug. I When SP goes 6.0+ IP ....... 7-3 NATIONALS HISTORY couldn’t believe (Cabrera) was running” When SP goes 7.0+ IP ....... 4-0 April 17 (7-5 on this date) When SP goes 8.0+ IP ....... 2-0 2008 – Tim Redding struck out a career-best 10 and Nick Johnson laced a three-run double with two outs in the seventh inning to lift the Nationals to a 6-4 win at FLA.