Pre-Game
Mets at Nationals Preview (9/25/26): Three Games Left, One Last Thing to Play For
The Mets begin their final series of 2026 tonight in Washington, and last place is on the line. New York trails the Nationals by two games in the NL East basement, so a weekend sweep would flip the standings. Here's the matchup, the lineup picture, and what to watch.
The postseason math ran out on the Mets a while ago, but that doesn't mean this weekend is meaningless. New York rolls into Nationals Park at 73-86, two games behind 75-84 Washington in the NL East standings. Both clubs are sitting at the bottom of the division. Sweep the Nats, and the Mets finish 76-86 with Washington one game back at 75-87. Anything less, and New York ends the year in the cellar.
For a fanbase that expected October baseball, that's a small consolation. It's still a reason to watch closely.
Pitching Matchup
Mets: TBD. As of this afternoon, New York hasn't officially named a starter for the series opener. Expect a lot of arms tonight with the roster expanded and nothing left to protect.
Nationals: Andrew Alvarez (LHP). Alvarez takes the ball with a 2-6 record, a 3.17 ERA, and 107 strikeouts. Don't let the losing record fool you. His ERA says he's pitched far better than his win total shows, and a lot of those losses come from a Washington offense that often left him short on run support.
The left-handed angle matters here. The Mets' recent lineups have leaned on several lefty bats in key spots, which could force Carlos Mendoza to shuffle the order or ride out tough same-side matchups.
Lineup Watch
In Thursday's finale in Texas, the Mets went with Francisco Lindor at short, Juan Soto at DH, Bo Bichette at third, Carson Benge in right, Brett Baty at first, Marcus Semien at second, A.J. Ewing in center, Luis Torrens behind the plate, and Nick Morabito in left.
The young players are the storyline down the stretch. Benge, Ewing, and Morabito are getting everyday reps, and these last three games are their final audition before an offseason of evaluations. How they handle a lefty with a sub-3.20 ERA will be worth noting.
Injury Note
Earlier this week, the Mets placed Scott on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation, officially ending his season.
How They Got Here
The Mets opened the week strong in Arlington, beating the Rangers 6-3 on Tuesday and 7-2 on Wednesday before the bats went silent in a 3-1 loss on Thursday afternoon. That's been the story of 2026 in miniature: stretches where the offense looks dangerous, followed by games where it disappears.
Washington hasn't had a much better year, but the Nats have been scrappy as underdogs. They've won 49 of their 116 games as the underdog this season, a 42.2% clip. The Mets, meanwhile, have gone 40-37 when favored. Oddsmakers see tonight as close to a coin flip.
The Rest of the Weekend
Saturday, 4:05 PM: Jonah Tong (2-2, 4.21 ERA) vs. Jake Irvin (2-9, 5.40 ERA)
Sunday, 3:05 PM: Sean Manaea (6-7, 4.67 ERA) vs. DJ Herz (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
On paper, the Mets hold the pitching edge in both weekend games. Manaea is coming off a strong outing where he tied his season high with nine strikeouts against Texas, and he'll close out his year on Sunday.
MetsXMFanZone Take
Tonight sets the tone. If the Mets can get to Alvarez early and avoid wasting runners, they have the better arms lined up for Saturday and Sunday. Winning all three is a tall order on the road, but it's the only path out of last place, and this group has shown it can string wins together when the offense shows up.
Prediction: Mets 5, Nationals 3. Soto and Lindor do the damage, and the bullpen holds it together.
Let's Go Mets.