After a sweep by the Mets, the Nationals find themselves in a virtual tie for first place in the NL East with the New Yorkers. Washington, with two fewer games played, has a slightly better winning percentage.

The Nationals are in an offensive slump, having scored two runs or less in six of their last seven games, 15 runs total in the stretch. They are 2-5 thanks to a 1-0 win by Max Scherzer to go with their seven run outburst against the Marlins. When asked about the slump last night, Curt Schilling pointed out that Washington faced great pitching in the streak. Gerrit Cole, Jose Fernandez, and the Mets trio all own low ERAs.

Washington, in fact, does decently well against the better pitchers in the league. There are 21 pitchers in the majors with an ERA under 3.03 (Felix Hernandez at 3.02) and at least 90 innings pitched (to include Noah Syndergaard). That group of pitchers made 18 starts against the Nationals and own a 9-4 record with a 2.57 ERA. Against the Mets, they made 16 starts and own a 9-4 record with a 1.21 ERA. That’s the lowest ERA this group has against any team. Washington really can’t complain too much, as they were supposed to have the deep staff that could compete with the best in low scoring games.

Watching the series between the two teams, it was very evident from the pitch tracking software used in the broadcasts that the umpires were giving the pitchers the benefit of the doubt on pitches off the sides of the plate. It’s tough to score when a batter takes ball four and then gets called out on strikes.

In the end, however, the Mets found a way to score efficiently with home runs. The two teams end the season against each other, and it should be a fun race down the stretch. It was nice to see Citi Field rocking.