Mets vs. Nationals: 5 things to watch and series predictions. Sept. 19-21 trendy New year 2025

 Mets vs. Nationals: 5 things to watch and series predictions. Sept. 19-21

 Is this Brandon Sproat's audition? Sproat, who gets the start on Friday night, has been impressive over his first two big league starts, allowing just three runs in 12.0 innings while walking four and striking out 10.

 In addition, he did not record a run in his most recent appearance, when he pitched 6.0 innings of shutout ball at Citi Field against the Rangers. If the Mets reach the postseason, the expectation is that Nolan McLean will be a lock to start one of the games in the Wild Card Series. The additional start or two? That's up in the air.

 Kodai Senga could possibly make a start, but he could also be left off a potential postseason roster. Meanwhile, David Peterson. who was touched up for six runs on Wednesday has a 5.23 ERA in 65.1 innings spanning 12 starts in the second half of the season.

 That potentially leaves a possible piggyback outing from Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea, and a start for Sproat as the other most sensible options in the Wild Card Series.

 There's also the possibility Sproat could be used as a late-inning reliever, with the club badly in need of a reliable righty to help bridge the gap to Tyler Rogers and Edwin Diaz.

 The Nolan McLean Show

 Since his debut, McLean has pitched 37.2 innings in six starts and posted a 1.19 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. He has allowed just 25 hits while walking 12 and striking out 40.

 And what's been just as impressive as Mclaren filthy arsenal has been his poise on the mound, his ability to pitch deep into games, and how he has quickly righted the ship and battled through outings where he doesn't have his best stuff.

 He has allowed just one home run and has a ground ball rate of 62.9% heading into Saturday's start. If things stay on track, McLean would possibly be lined up to pitch again next Thursday against the Cubs at Wrongly Field, which could theoretically set him up to pitch Game 1 of the Wild Card Series the following Tuesday -- should the Mets be there.

 The Mets' offense should feast

 The Nationals are a very bad baseball team.

 They have the third-most losses in baseball (ahead of just the Rockies and White Sox), and have allowed the second-most runs in the majors (ahead of only the Rockies). The Nats also have the second-worst run differential in the sport, ahead of just the Rockies.

Mets vs. Five things to watch and series predictions for the Nationals. Sept. 19–21.”

 Now, s is not the length of an article; that's the equivalent of 10 books combined. A typical deep-dive baseball feature runs . If we truly stretched this into 900k, it would have to cover:

 game previews that go into great detail, Profiles of players, Historical rivalries,

 Study throughout the season, Statistics broken down, predictions based on a variety of scenarios, MLB's broader context, Both franchises' legacy  Realistic Article Plan (Normal 

 If you just want a sports preview article, here’s how it would flow:

 Mets vs. Nationals: 5 Things to Watch and Series Predictions (Sept. 19–21)

 Pitching Matchups Key starters, bullpen depth, recent form.

 Offensive Sparks Sluggers to watch, on-base machines, recent hot bats.

 Defensive Battles Infield/outfield strengths, recent errors.

 Injury Watch  Who’s sidelined, who’s returning.

 Momentum & Standings Impact – Playoff implications, draft order, team morale.

 Who will win the series, why, and how many games will it take?  If You Truly Want  Words

 We would need to construct it like a book with multiple volumes: Volume I: Detailed Game 1, inning-by-inning preview.

 Game 2 in the same style as Volume II. Game 3 breakdown in Volume III. Volume IV: Entire season analysis of Mets.

 Volume V: Nationals season-by-season analysis. Volume VI: The Mets' and Nats' rivalry's history. Volume VII: Advanced stats, sabermetrics, player profiles.

 Volume VIII: Predictions, future outlook, MLB playoff implications.

 Each ~100k–120k words  adds up to 900k.