Mets turn to Justin Verlander in finale vs. Nationals

July 30 - One three-time Cy Young Award winner likely made his final start for the New York Mets on Friday night.

Will Justin Verlander do the same on Sunday afternoon?

Verlander is scheduled to start for the stripped-down Mets when they vie for a series win against the visiting Washington Nationals in the finale of the four-game set.

Verlander (5-5, 3.24 ERA) will be opposed by fellow right-hander Trevor Williams (5-5, 4.47).

Riley Adams had three RBIs Saturday night for the Nationals, who earned an 11-6 win during a game in which the Mets reportedly agreed to deal Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers.

While the trade wasn't confirmed by the teams as of late Saturday night, Scherzer's likely ex-teammates spoke as if it were official.

"There was a lot of rumbling about it before the game," first baseman Pete Alonso said. "And I didn't really see him around today. So that's when I know it was like, 'Oh man this is legit. This isn't like clickbait or anything like that.'

"It's a loss for us for sure, obviously. Having a guy who is going to be a Hall of Famer get traded stinks. He's a good friend of mine. He's a great teammate. Texas is going to really love having him."

The reported trade of Scherzer came less than two days after the Mets sent closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins for prospects Ronald Hernandez and Marco Vargas.

MLB.com reported last week that Verlander is drawing interest from contenders. He has one year and $43.3 million remaining on his contract after this season.

Verlander, who missed the first five weeks of the season due to a teres major strain, is 3-1 with a 1.46 ERA in his last six outings after going 2-4 with a 4.50 ERA in his first nine. He tossed six scoreless innings and earned the win Tuesday in a 9-3 win over the New York Yankees.

On Sunday, he'll be tasked with trying to quiet the Nationals, who snapped a mini-slump by scoring 11 runs despite getting just three extra-base hits on Saturday.

Washington, which scored only one run in each of the first games of the series (both losses), arrived in New York after scoring 38 runs during a 5-1 homestand that ended Wednesday.

The Nationals raced to a 4-0 advantage in the first inning Saturday and led 8-1 before the Mets mounted a comeback.

"With a team like that, you can never fully relax," said Adams, who had a two-run double in the third and an RBI double in the ninth. "But I think it kind of frees you up as a team. I think everybody starts playing looser and you can see a little more joy out there."

Williams signed with the Nationals last December after spending the previous season-plus with the Mets. He didn't factor into the decision on Tuesday, when he gave up four runs over six innings in Washington's 6-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Verlander is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three career starts against the Nationals. Williams is 3-1 with a 3.05 ERA in seven starts against the Mets.

--Field Level Media

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