The New York Mets might not be in contention anymore, but at least they're a good watch when R.A. Dickey is on the mound and he's facing off against the National League East-leading Washington Nationals.
The knuckleballer is paired up with his usual battery partner Josh Thole, who will hit eighth. Here's how the rest of the team lines up behind him:
1. Ruben Tejada (R) SS
2. Daniel Murphy (L) 2B
3. David Wright (R) 3B
4. Ike Davis (L) 1B
5. Mike Baxter (L) RF
6. Jason Bay (R) LF
7. Andres Torres (S) CF
8. Josh Thole (L) C
9. R.A. Dickey (R) P
Murphy gets the nod to bat second and play second over Ronny Cedeno for a better righty-lefty matchup. Baxter gets the start in right field in lieu of Scott Hairston, and although there's never really a good reason to bat Bay sixth, having a weak-hitting everyday centerfielder, a backup catcher and the pitcher behind him makes it kind of OK (although it should be noted that Dickey has a higher average than Bay).
Here's the Nats' lineup:
1. Jayson Werth (R) RF
2. Bryce Harper (L) CF
3. Ryan Zimmerman (R) 3B
4. Adam LaRoche (L) 1B
5. Michael Morse (R) LF
6. Ian Desmond (R) SS
7. Danny Espinosa (S) 2B
8. Kurt Suzuki (R) C
9. Jordan Zimmermann (R) P
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