No more screwing around: it�s time to defend the honor of New York as the Mets try to do what the Rangers couldn�t and that is to beat DC (the Red Bulls beat the DC United last Thursday 4-0�a guy at work pointed that out to console me about the Rangers�and he wasn�t being sarcastic�but I didn�t even know that the soccer season had started). I haven�t lived in New York in 24 years but will always be a New Yorker. I have a local friend�I live in Maryland�who grew up in Queens and feels that we are obligated to support the local teams. He�s abandoned the Mets and roots for the Redskins and Capitals. He�s one the smartest people I know (he�s written a book and it�s not even about baseball) but here, I think he�s an idiot. Start spreading the news� the Mets are coming to Washington, DC. Through Sunday, the Nationals are hitting .226 which is 28th in baseball and are 23rd in runs scored (the Mets are 16th and 9th). Washington�s SP is why they are in 3rd�the team is 11th in the MLB in ERA and 16h in quality starts. The Mets are 26th and 26th so that helps explains why the Nationals are in 3d and the Mets are in last. [u:18v48dua]April 26, 7:05[/u:18v48dua], Chris Young (1-0, 1.46, 0.97 WHIP) against Jordan Zimmermann (RHP, 1-3, 3.70, 1.15). Young returns from biceps tendinitis to make his second start this year against Washington. On April 10, he pitched 7 innings, gave up 1 ER, 1 H, 2 walks� and the Mets lost 7-3 (that was the ridiculous Sunday loss that got me so mad that I went outside and picked up branches in the backyard). None of the Nationals have done much against him. Don�t believe me? Read Adam Rubin�s series preview: http://proxy.espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/20591/series-preview-mets-at-nationals-4 Zimmermann got the win in the Mets �11 home opener, going 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 H. He�s coming off a bad outing against the LaRussas (6 IP, 5 ER). Murphy and Ike have hit HRs off the man with 3 �M�s� in his last name. Of greatest import, I will be sitting in section 113. [u:18v48dua]April 27, 7:10[/u:18v48dua], R.A. Dickey (1-3, 4.10, 1.59) against Tom Gorzelanny (LHP, 0-2, 4.96, 1.16). Dickey lost to Washington on April 8 (5 IP, 3 ER). Facing Dickey, Matt Stairs is 5-11, 1 HR and that little bitch Jayson Werth is 4-14, 1 HR. Dickey is writing a book, climbing a mountain, saying a lot about �off season plans� while the game is going on http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/columnists/raissman/index.html... he�s doing it all except pitching as well as he did last year. Gorzelanny lost to the Mets on April 9 (5.1 IP, 5 ER, 4 H). He hasn�t pitched more than 6 innings this season. Beltran has 2 HRs off Gorzelanny. I�m taking this game off. [u:18v48dua]April 28, 7:10[/u:18v48dua], Chris Capuano (2-1, 5.95, 1.53) against Livan Hernandez (RHP, 2-2, 3.48, 1.32). �C Squared� got the win against Washington on April 9 (6 IP, 4 ER). Livan is making his one zillionth career start against the Mets. Wright has 4 career HRs off the ex-Met while Reyes and Beltran have 2 each (Willie Harris is 0-10). I will be sitting in section 115. Fun fact: the last names of the 3 Nationals SPs this series combine for 28 letters. Bring on Isringhausen! [u:18v48dua]Infield[/u:18v48dua]: 1B Adam LaRoche, 2B Danny Espinosa, SS, Ian Desmond, 3B, Jerry Hairston (brother of Scott) while Ryan Zimmerman is on the DL. As Guys! pointed out on Sunday, the Nationals have committed 18 errors so far this season and Desmond has 6 of them (the Mets: 12 errors). Desmond is 8 for 8 in SBs. Rubin�s preview talks about a partial labrum tear in LaRoche�s throwing shoulder. [u:18v48dua]Outfield[/u:18v48dua]: LF Mike Morse, CF Rick Ankiel, RF Jayson Werth. Since the Mets last saw the Nationals, Werth has moved from 2nd in the lineup to 3rd. There are rumors (for Second Spitter, �rumours�) that the Nationals are trying to trade for a CF, perhaps BJ Upton of the Rays. [u:18v48dua]Catcher[/u:18v48dua]: either Ivan Rodriguez or Wilson Ramos. Let�s take a break so I can bring back a �bmfc KTE Classic� from last September. It�s tourist season so pay attention: � Listen up tourists: thank you for visiting DC. When you are wandering aimlessly around the L�Enfant Plaza vicinity, I will help you find the Air & Space Museum (Metro refuses to put up a sign saying which exit to use so many tourists get out at the wrong exit). However, when you�re in the Metro, don�t be a jerk. The fare cards have an arrow on them. That means that you put the card into the turnstile according to the direction of the arrow. The fare cards go in the machine at the beginning and end of your ride so don�t block the exit finding your card. On the escalators (the ones that work), we walk on the left, stand on the right. Metro thinks it�s rude to tell you this but I don�t care. Don�t block the escalator�I want to get home. On the train, don�t stand in front of the door and force us to go around you. Don�t take an extra seat for your luggage�I�ve been up since 4:30 and want to sit down. This isn�t a playground so don�t let your kids twirl around the metal poles and pull themselves up and down on the overhead bars. Be considerate�don�t embarrass Iowa, Idaho or wherever the frig you�re from. [u:18v48dua]Bullpen[/u:18v48dua]: the closer is Drew Storen (RHP, 3 saves). The set-up guy is Sean Burnett (LHP, 3 saves). [u:18v48dua]Ex�s[/u:18v48dua]: Livan Hernandez and Alex Cora. In March, I was having lunch with my friend Jenn, http://natsfangirls.com/ (the filter at work blocks her site as �porn�� I wish) and she asked about Alex Cora. I said that he stinks, but not in a Luis Castillo way where he stunk at every phase of the game (other than bunting)� Cora is just �there�, he�s not good at anything (other than being, allegedly, a solid clubhouse guy). This year, Cora is hitting 130, 3-23, 1 RBI. [u:18v48dua]Manager[/u:18v48dua]: Jim Riggelman remains as the Nationals manager. He�s a local guy and there are no expectations of success for this team so the locals give him a pass. We�ll see how long this lasts once Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg are on the team. The locals are also distracted by the success of those no-good SOBs, the Capitals who were fortunate that Ryan Callahan was hurt and that the refs choked on their whistles in Games 1 and 4 allowing cheap goals to trickle past the goal lines. The friend I mentioned earlier dislikes Rex Ryan�he says that he gives the Jets a bad image and isn�t �classy.� Nevertheless, he loves Bruce Boudreau. Did you see �24/7�? Boudreau has a one word vocabulary and it begins with �f.� That�s classy? You think I don�t like the Capitals�just ask me about the Redskins. Don�t get me wrong: Capitals fans are the smartest fans in DC but the bar for that isn�t very high. And, as always, the Nationals mascot is an effeminate chicken named �Screech.�
