Upcoming series: Mets at Nationals

The 9-13 New York Mets will be set to square off against the 10-11 Washington Nationals at Nationals Park at 7 pm tonight in an inter-division three-game set.

Pitching matchups:

Game 1 (7 pm tonight): Chris Young (1-0, 1.46 ERA) vs. Jordan Zimmermann (1-3, 3.70 ERA)
Game 2 (7 pm tomorrow): R.A. Dickey (1-3, 4.10 ERA) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (0-2, 4.96 ERA)
Game 3 (7 pm Thursday): Chris Capuano (2-1, 5.95 ERA) vs. Livan Hernandez (2-1, 2.88 ERA)

Series Notes:

• The Nats won the last series that these two teams played. The Nats won the opener of the series (the Mets' home opener) followed by a Met win where Carlos Beltran hit two homers. The Mets were in position to win the rubber game after a fine start from Chris Young, but the Nats rallied against the Met bullpen to win in extras.
• The Mets will send out the same three pitchers in this series that they sent out in the last series that these two teams met, albeit in a different order. Dickey pitched the opener in that game followed by Capuano and then Young. The Nats have the same two guys pitching the first two games of the series, Zimmermann and Gorzelanny, but instead of Jason Marquis pitching the third game, the former Met Livan Hernandez will have a go.
• The Mets come in freshly off a 3-game sweep of the D'backs. They've won their last 4 in a row overall. The Nats come in having lost 4 of their last 5 games, including a makeup game last night where they lost to the Pirates 4-2.
• Washington is now in 3rd place in the NL East, moving half a game in front of the Braves after Atlanta lost to the Giants last night in extras. The Mets are in last.
• The Nats are on an incredible streak of quality starting pitching. In all 21 of their games this year, National starters have gone at least 5 innings. John Lannan continued the streak on Sunday night, going 5.2 innings although he took the loss. They own a 3.64 ERA on the year, which is slightly better than the league average.
• Former Phillie and 126 million-dollar man Jayson Werth has hit better over the last week, hitting .261 with a homer and 3 RBI in 6 games. However, Werth overall has still struggled mightily in his new role with the Nats, hitting .218 with a .704 OPS to start the year.

Injury Report:

For the Nationals:

• Ryan Zimmerman will not be activated from the 15-day DL for this series. He was placed on the DL because of an abdominal strain that will likely keep him out until early May.
• The former Yankee Chien-Ming Wang may return for the Nats in May as he recovers from shoulder surgery. He pitched an extended Spring Training game on April 20th.
• Elvin Ramirez, who was picked from the Mets in the Rule 5 draft, is expected to suit up for the Nats sometime in May. He has been suffering from shoulder issues and received a cortisone shot in his right shoulder last week. As a Rule 5 pick, the Nats must keep him on the major league roster for the whole year or they must offer him back to the Mets. Also, if Ramirez isn't active for at least 90 days this year the Nats must do so into next year to fully gain his rights.

For the Mets:

• Chris Young has been activated from the DL and will start tonight's game. He was suffering from tendinitis in his right biceps, so we'll see if that affects him. D.J. Carrasco was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo as a result, and Dillon Gee will serve as the long man for the time being.
• Ronny Paulino could be activated from the DL as soon as tomorrow. He was suffering from anemia, but appears to be okay as he's been playing in minor league games. Mike Nickeas is expected to be sent down when Paulino is activated.
• Angel Pagan and Bobby Parnell were both placed on the DL in the past five days. There is not yet a clear timetable for their returns. Pagan is suffering from an oblique strain that occurred in Thursday's win over the Astros. Parnell is suffering from a blood clot in his right middle finger, but aside from that, there is nothing too serious about his injury.