First pitch: Sunday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: N/A, Total: N/A

The Mets will be looking to earn a big home victory when they host the Nationals on Sunday.

Washington is currently in complete control of the NL East and it would take a major collapse from the team to change that. The Nationals have been great in every aspect of the game this year, as they are explosive offensively and solid throughout their starting rotation. The Mets, meanwhile, are currently trying to find a way into the postseason. New York has been playing well over the past few weeks, but the team still has a ton of work to do in order to grab one of the two NL Wild Card spots. This Mets team was so close to winning the World Series in 2015, so it’d be a major disappointment if it can’t sneak into the playoffs. The starters in this Sunday night matchup are set to be RHP Max Scherzer (15-7, 2.89 ERA, 238 K) for the Nationals and RHP Seth Lugo (2-2, 2.60 ERA, 28 K) for the Mets. While Lugo has pitched very well for New York recently, this is a huge advantage for Washington on paper.

The Nationals are hoping to spoil the Mets’ chances of making the postseason and Max Scherzer is going to be the guy that is asked to shut New York down on Sunday. Scherzer has been on fire for Washington recently, as he has allowed just two earned runs in his past 16 innings of work. The righty struck out 21 batters and walked just one in those two starts and he’ll be hoping to stifle the Mets in this one as well. The last time he faced New York was on Jul. 9 and he was absolutely dominant, allowing no earned runs in seven innings of work. Scherzer struck out nine batters in that game and would surely sign up for another performance like that in this game. Offensively, 2B Daniel Murphy is a guy to keep an eye on in this one. The Mets chose not to pay Murphy last summer and he has responded by getting himself into the MVP conversation in his first season with Washington. He’ll certainly be looking forward to facing his team on the national stage and a big game is something that should be expected.

The Mets can really use a victory on Sunday and Seth Lugo is going to need to be on his game in order for New York to have a chance in this one. Lugo has pitched well for the Mets lately, allowing three or fewer earned runs in each of his past three starts. He is, however, facing a dangerous Washington lineup and it’s important that he avoids making mistakes in this game. If he hangs too many pitches high in the zone then guys like Murphy, Harper and Werth will surely make him pay for it. Offensively, OFs Yoenis Cespedes and Jay Bruce are going to need to come through for New York. The two of them are a combined 6-for-21 with two homers and three RBI against the righty in their careers, but they’ll need to make sure they are ready to go in this one. If they do not produce at the plate then it’s very tough to imagine the Mets winning the game.