 limited the Mets to three hits and one walk over six innings. He leads the National League with 263 strikeouts and ranks second to Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw (2.26) with a 2.55 ERA.Washington, the NL East champion, will host Game 1 of a playoff series on Oct. 6. The team's opponent remains to be determined, but the only NL division winner that can finish with a better record than the Nationals (94-61) is Los Angeles.The Chicago Cubs could win 94 games and the NL Central, but Washington won the season series between the teams 4-3.New York cut the lead to 3-2 with one out in the eighth on Jose Reyes' RBI single. After Ryan Madson struck out Brandon Nimmo and walked Travis d'Arnaud to load the bases, Sammy Solis struck out pinch-hitter Kevin Plawecki to end the inning.Brandon Kintzler worked the ninth for his 29th save in 34 chances combined this season with Minnesota and Washington. The Mets threatened again, putting runners on second and third, but Nori Aoki grounded out to end it.Washington won the season series 13-6, winning eight of 10 games at Citi Field.Scherzer's only costly mistake came with two outs in the first when Brandon Nimmo hit a solo homer to give New York the lead.Turner connected for his 11th homer in the third against deGrom, putting the Nationals in front 2-1.With Reyes at third after leading off the fourth inning with a single and stealing two bases, Scherzer struck out the side.DeGrom (15-10) wasn't too shabby himself, striking out 11 and walking none for his 11th double-digit strikeout game of the season. He ranks second to Scherzer in the National League with 239 strikeouts.The right-hander allowed two earned runs in six innings, surpassing 200 innings for the first time in his career. He struck out every batter in the Nationals' lineup.After serving up Turner's homer to left field, the Mets' ace retired his next five batters, but then ran into trouble in the fifth.Michael Taylor led off with a single and stole second. He went to third on a throwing error by d'Arnaud and scored on a single by Jose Lobaton.A HELPING HANDThe Mets announced they will team up with New York Governor Andrew W. Cuomo on the Empire State Relief & Recovery Effort for Puerto Rico. This week, Citi Field will serve as a site where fans can donate supplies that will be shipped to the island to aid with the recovery from Hurricane Maria.UP NEXTNationals: RHP A. J. Cole (2-5, 4.43 ERA) will be on the mound for the opener of a three-game set at Philadelphia on Monday. Cole earned his first major league win May 6 with a solid outing against the Phillies, allowing one run over six innings.Mets: RHP Chris Flexen (3-4, 7.13) starts the first game of a doubleheader against Atlanta on Monday. Seth Lugo (6-5, 5.03) gets the ball in the nightcap as the Mets close their home schedule with a four-game series.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Scherzer, deGrom to duel in Nationals-Mets matchup 1h ago• 2 min read NEW YORK -- Two of the National League's best pitchers will square off Sunday afternoon when the New York Mets host the Washington Nationals in the finale of a three-game series at Citi Field.If all goes according to plan for Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom, Sunday will also be the game in which he takes another step closer toward matching the ace standards set by Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer.DeGrom (15-9, 3.55 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Scherzer (15-6, 2.59) in a rare matchup of true No. 1 pitchers. Both teams will be looking for a series win after the Nationals snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday night with a 4-3, 10-inning victory.Scherzer (253) and deGrom (228) entered Saturday ranked 1-2 in the NL in strikeouts and were in the top 10 in wins, ERA and innings pitched."They're two of the best in the game," Mets manager Terry Collins said of deGrom and Scherzer. "If you're a baseball fan, those are games you want to see. And I'm going to get to see it, so I'm excited about it." Scherzer continued to cement himself as one of the best pitchers of his era in his most recent start on Tuesday, when he not only picked up the win by allowing two runs in seven innings in the Nationals' 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves but also struck out seven to reach 250 strikeouts for the fourth straight season.Scherzer is the fourth pitcher with 250 strikeouts in four straight seasons. His predecessors? Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez."You have to be durable to accomplish that," Scherzer told reporters afterward. "I have been durable and going out there, making 30-plus starts every year. That is how you achieve something like that." When Scherzer takes the mound Sunday, he will reach 30 starts for the ninth straight season - a streak exceeded only by Chicago Cubs left-hander Jon Lester, who has made at least 30 starts in 10 straight seasons.Scherzer is 8 2/3 innings shy of reaching 200 innings for the fifth straight year. DeGrom reached 30 starts for the second time in his most recent outing Sept. 16, when he picked up the win after allowing one run in seven innings in the Mets' 7-3 win over the Braves, is 4 2/3 innings away from reaching 200 for the first time.DeGrom has had his eye on 200 innings since spring training."That's a big thing," deGrom said following a win over the Miami Marlins on Aug 20. "That was kind of a goal coming into the year." DeGrom was initially scheduled to start Friday's series opener but was pushed back two days due to a stomach illness. He is 5-3 with a 2.75 ERA in 11 career starts against the Nationals. Scherzer is 7-4 with a 2.27 ERA in 14 career appearances (13 starts) against the Mets, whom he no-hit on Oct. 3, 2015.
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