With New York's Pitching In Shambles, Washington Looks To Climb Back Into Contention

Quick-Hitters

• With a spot starter scheduled for Wednesday’s showdown with the Washington Nationals, it’s clear that the starting rotation has become a weakness for the New York Mets.

• Michael Wacha recently hit the IL and Marcus Stroman announced that he wouldn't be returning for the 2020 campaign. With Noah Syndergaard out after undergoing Tommy John surgery, there aren't many alternative options for the Mets.

• Just two days after conceding 16 runs to the Nationals, the Mets hope that a spot starter and their bullpen can provide an answer against a lineup that’s starting to wake up. CLICK HERE FOR LIVE GAME ODDS!

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Where Did Everyone Go?

It’s amazing to think that the New York Mets began spring training with six proven major league starters, even after losing Zack Wheeler in free agency. Such depth made the Mets an intriguing World Series bet at +2000 (per DraftKings Sportsbook) during spring training. Those odds have increased to +2500 since.

Noah Syndergaard has undergone Tommy John surgery and Marcus Stroman has opted out after missing the early part of the campaign due to injury. The two would have formed a nice two-three behind reigning Cy Young Award winner, Jacob deGrom. On top of that, the Mets recently placed Michael Wacha on the IL, officially cutting the six starters they had in March in half.

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Sorting Out The Rotation

Outside of deGrom, the pitchers who remain in New York’s rotation haven’t been reliable during the early part of the season. At best, Rick Porcello has been up and down, failing to recapture his Cy Young form from 2016. With no quality out pitch, Porcello is vulnerable in every start if he can’t locate his pitches with precision.

Steven Matz, the team’s de-facto number-two starter with Syndergaard and Stroman out of the picture, is 0-3 with an ERA of 8.20 after four starts. He started Monday’s game when the Mets allowed 16 runs against the Nationals. It's fair to say that the southpaw looks lost on the mound. Rookie David Peterson has shown some promise, but he hasn't been enough to help supplement deGrom’s brilliance at the top of the rotation.

Bullpen Game

The injuries and the exit of Stroman have left the Mets with a vacant spot in their once deep rotation. That spot will need to be filled starting with Wednesday’s game against Washington. The Nationals finally showed signs of life offensively when they scored 16 runs on Monday, but beyond that contest, things haven't been so pretty without Anthony Rendon in the middle of the order.

Things don’t figure to get much better on Wednesday, as the Mets remain vulnerable to having their lack of rotational depth become their downfall. In a short period of time, those issues have turned them from a dark horse to an afterthought in the National League.