The 35-26 New York Mets will play the first of a three-game set against the 30-35 Washington Nationals. After winning the series (3-1) against the Cubs at Citi, the Mets look to open the home stand against their division rivals with a bang.

Tonight’s contest will feature a couple of 28-year old pitchers on the mound. The Mets plan to send the Joey Lucchesi to the hill, making his 11th appearance of the season. The Newark, California native is 1-4 with a 5.18 ERA and 36 K’s in 33.0 innings pitched.

Lucchesi’s last outing came against his former club, the Padres in San Diego and pitcher tossed five innings of one-run ball, but having to settle for the no decision. In the outing, Lucchesi was able to fan down six.

Besides a little injury, Jonathan Villar has been super solid for the Mets. Earlier when the Mets signed him, I thought it was a mistake and even wrote about it. However, I can easily say I was wrong. In his last seven games, Villar has hit .308/.400/.577 with a home run, a run batted in, as well as a stolen base.

The Washington Nationals will have 28-year old righty Erik Fedde on the mound, a former first round pick with the Washington. In his last start, Fedde pitched five scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants while also picking up his fourth win of the year.

Fedde, so far is having a good season, pitching to a 3.86 ERA while owning a 4-4 record. The Las Vegas, Nevada native has also struck out 43 batters in 44.1 innings pitched, so far this season.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM EST and will be televised locally on SNY.