MLB Game Preview - Washington at NY Mets

Sat Aug 10, 2019 7:10 PM EDT

Todd Frazier tried to temper expectations Friday night for the surging New York Mets.

"You're not going to sweep everybody," the New York third baseman said. "In a perfect world, that'd be great. But we understand that's not going to happen."

The Mets will try to continue their stunning foray into playoff contention Saturday night when they host the Washington Nationals in the middle game of a three-game series.

Right-hander Noah Syndergaard (8-5, 3.96 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for New York against Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin (9-5, 3.43).

The Mets ran their winning streak to seven games in dramatic fashion Friday night, when Frazier hit a game-tying, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth before Michael Conforto laced the walk-off RBI single with two outs to lift New York to a 7-6 win.

The win was the 14th in the past 15 games for the Mets -- their best 15-game stretch since they went 14-1 from June 20-July 6, 1990 -- and kept them on the cusp of a National League wild-card spot.

New York, which was eight games out of the second wild card following play July 25, enter Saturday a half-game behind the second wild-card position, currently held by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mets are tied in the race with the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals. The three teams are all 1 1/2 games back of the Nationals, who hold the first wild card.

"I think our confidence is just building with each win," Conforto said. "We've got enough talent in this room to do something special."

The loss was doubly stinging for the Nationals, who also blew a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning as they fell to 5-9 against the Mets this season. Each of New York's last four wins at home against Washington have come in the final at-bat.

Sean Doolittle, who gave up all four runs in the ninth inning Friday, was tagged for the final four runs of a six-run eighth inning the last time he pitched at Citi Field on May 22.

"I've got to be honest, I wasn't thinking about it at all until I was walking off the field," Doolittle said after the Nationals had their three-game winning streak snapped. "It wasn't like I was coming in here looking to exorcise any demons or anything like that. But walking off the field with that same sick feeling, it was kind of surreal."

Syndergaard earned the win in his most recent start last Sunday, when he gave up one run over seven innings as the Mets cruised past the Pittsburgh Pirates, 13-2.

Corbin also pitched Sunday, and didn't factor into the decision against the Arizona Diamondbacks when he allowed five runs over 5 1/3 innings in the Nationals' 7-5 loss.

Syndergaard is 4-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 15 career starts against the Nationals, whom he's faced more than any opponent. Corbin is 2-5 with a 4.58 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) against the Mets.

--Field Level Media