WASHINGTON - Tony Armas Jr. tries to help the
Washington Nationals avoid a rare series loss when he takes the
mound in finale of a four-game set against the New York Mets. Washington, which is 9-1 in its last 10 series, has taken just
one of the first three games of the set. In Wednesday's
contest, New York posted a 5-3 victory to end Livan Hernandez's
11-game winning streak. In this one, the Mets take aim at a pitcher who has been rather
tough to beat at RFK Stadium. Armas (4-4, 5.27 ERA) is 3-0 with a 2.83 ERA in five home starts
this season as opposed to 1-4 with a 7.81 ERA on the road. The
Venezuelan righthander is 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA in nine career
starts against the Mets, but has not faced them this season. New York's Kris Benson (6-3, 3.75) has logged at least six
innings in 11 straight outings and allowed three earned runs or
fewer in eight of those starts. He yielded five runs - three
earned - in six innings Saturday in a 7-3 loss to Florida. The 30-year-old righthander never has faced Washington, but in
six career starts against the Montreal Expos - now the Nationals
- he went 3-1 with a 3.40 ERA.
|