Spring Training Game Chat: Mets vs Nationals, 6:05 PM

Thursday, March 20, 2025 • 6:05 PM
Clover Park • Port St. Lucie, FL
RHP Kodai Senga (0-0, 3.38) vs. LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara (1-2, 7.56)

The Mets are coming off an 8-2 win against the Astros behind a strong start from David Peterson and 12 hits from the bats, including five doubles from four different hitters! The Mets offense heads back to West Palm Beach today to take on the other home team, the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals are trying to round their starting rotation. Shinnosuke Ogasawara is locked in a roster battle to break camp with the team and in that starting five. Over four starts and 8 1/3 innings this spring, he has a 7.56 ERA and a 2.52 WHIP. He has every reason to fully bring it on against the Mets this afternoon.

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – RF
3. Pete Alonso – 1B
4. Jesse Winker – DH
5. Luis Torrens – C
6. Brett Baty – 2B
7. Jose Siri – CF
8. José Azoócar – LF
9. Luisangel Acuña – 3B

Opposing Lineup

1. C.J. Abrams – SS
2. Dylan Crews – RF
3. James Wood – DH
4. Josh Bell – 1B
5. Luis García Jr. – 2B
6. Paul DeJong – 3B
7. Keibert Ruiz – C
8. Alex Call – LF
9. Jacob Young – CF

Game Notes

Senga and Peterson will stay in Florida when the team travels to Houston. They will pitch in minor league games on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Senga will then start on March 31 and Peterson on April 1 against the Marlins.

Edwin Díaz pitched today in the minor league game, the first time he pitched back-to-back this spring.

Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte also played on the backfields today.

For the second straight year, The Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T) named the Mets as the National League recipient of the Bobby Murcer Award for leading all NL clubs in donations during the organization’s annual Spring Training Fundraising.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Kodai Senga. Every Kodai start is a must-watch, right? Senga dominated in his first start of the season allowing only two hits and nothing else over two innings while striking out two batters. His next major league spring training start was on March 14th, where he allowed two runs from seven hits over 3 1/3 innings. Today, we are looking for Senga to look more like his first start, keep the hits down, and mow through this Nationals lineup.
2. Stolen Bases. The Mets have only swiped 15 bags this spring, which is good for 24th in MLB. For context, the Brewers already have 50 stolen bases, six teams have 30 or more, and 15 teams have 20 or more. Today’s starting lineup has 11 of the Mets’ 15 stolen bases. Azocar and Acuña have three each, Lindor and Siri have a pair each and Baty rounds out the group with one.
3. José Azócar. Let’s stick with Azócar for a bit. Azócar is having a tremendous spring with the Mets, hitting 11-for-35 with a homer, three stolen bases, and eight RBIs. His eight RBIs are tied for second on the team behind Pete Alonso. He has one more week to make a move up the depth chart. It’s still unlikely he will break camp with the team, but a week is a long time in spring training.

Let’s go Mets!

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