Nationals @ Mets - Game 4

[Minty Fresh]

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 1:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 184
Weather: Rain late, 82 degrees, Wind 11 mph out to CF

NATIONALS (76-69)
CF Denard Span
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Jayson Werth
LF Bryce Harper
SS Ian Desmond
1B Adam LaRoche
C Wilson Ramos
2B Anthony Rendon
RHP Tanner Roark

METS (64-80)
LF Eric Young Jr.
CF Juan Lagares
2B Daniel Murphy
1B Lucas Duda
3B Josh Satin
RF Mike Baxter
C Anthony Recker
SS Ruben Tejada
RHP Aaron Harang

UMPIRES 
HP Jim Reynolds
1B Bob Davidson
2B John Hirschbeck (cc)
3B James Hoye

NEW YORK — Here’s a sentence that features all kinds of outrageous elements: The Washington Nationals today will be trying to sweep a four-game series on the road, earn their sixth straight win and their 23rd in their last 32 games, with Tanner Roark on the mound trying to improve to 6-0 in his career. Stop and think about all that for a moment. Wow.

Such is the situation the Nationals face today, and they’re happy to be considering all of it. Roark has been a huge, pleasant surprise and today makes his second big-league start, trying somehow to maintain his sparkling 0.94 ERA. Does the 26-year-old right-hander have a real future in this team’s rotation? That’s still to be determined, but every game he pitches like he has, he certainly makes a stronger case for himself.

Veteran Aaron Harang, a bust in Seattle this season who just signed a minor-league deal with the Mets a couple weeks ago, will be opposing a Nationals lineup that has hit .290 and scored an average of 5.3 runs over the last 31 games. The Reds are off today, so a win would move the Nats to within 5 1/2 games of the final Wild Card berth with 16 to go.

 - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

[skippy1999]

Day baseball and my boss is gone today, what a happy Thursday

[Minty Fresh]

Day baseball and my boss is gone today, what a happy Thursday

My boss is here but the game will be on anyway! 

[skippy1999]

My boss is here but the game will be on anyway! 

haha you rebel

[cmdterps44]

LET'S DO THIS crap

[Displaced Bucco]

Day baseball and my boss is gone today, what a happy Thursday

I am the boss...everyone must watch!!

[Minty Fresh]

So.....  Since I live in New York I won't be WATCHING the game...   

But I will have Charlie and Dave thanks to XM Radio!   

[ajcartwright]

ray knight still has hope
f.p. not so much, me, well,
yes, i can't help it

[spidernat]

freak Davey Johnson. He said he loves the baltimore Washington area. We need to purge ourselves of all baltimore lovers. 

[cmdterps44]

freak Davey Johnson. He said he loves the baltimore Washington area. We need to purge ourselves of all baltimore lovers. 

First step is hammonds!

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

That probably means he likes playing bridge with friends in Severna Park. 

freak Davey Johnson. He said he loves the baltimore Washington area. We need to purge ourselves of all baltimore lovers. 

[mmzznnxx]

Jesus, Zimmerman is some kind of hot right now.

[monkeyhit]

Ball is carrying.

[mitlen]

Good for Z'n.

[WhiteWhale]

8 HR in the last 10 games. gracious.

[spidernat]

First step is hammonds!

(Image removed from quote.)

[cmdterps44]

HOW FAR'S THIS ONE GOING!!

[spidernat]

8 HR in the last 10 games. gracious.

He's a different player when they stop testing.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

It's like the whole team other than ALR woke up in August.

[mitlen]

He's a different player when they stop testing.

Boz had an interesting comment on the Nats' hitting in general.   

"Since Rick Schu arrived and the Nats trimmed their workaholic pre-game hitting habits, some self-inflicted hair-shirt drills, the Nats’ offense has led the National League in . . . everything."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/washington-nationals-can-still-salvage-whats-been-a-disappointing-2013-season/2013/09/11/597d853e-1b15-11e3-82ef-a059e54c49d0_story.html
 

[monkeyhit]

Harper is a mess.  Ump likes high strikes.

[Minty Fresh]

Z-pack is white hot! 

[TigerFan]

He's a different player when they stop testing.

I say just go for it and dope all season.  Get one of those Wizzinators that the viking RB got caught with and hope RZ is smarter about it. 

[PC]

It's like the whole team other than ALR Harper woke up in August.

FTFY.  Harper's been awful.  Worse than LaRoche.

[OldChelsea]

freak Davey Johnson. He said he loves the baltimore Washington area. We need to purge ourselves of all baltimore lovers. 

There is no such thing as a 'Baltimore-Washington' or 'Washington-Baltimore' area...there are a Washington area and a Baltimore area that overlap.

The only entity that can legitimately be called 'Baltimore-Washington' is the parkway.