Game 49 lineups: Nats at Mets (Adams activated)

NEW YORK - Last year, a matchup between Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom was must-see TV for the implications it had on the Cy Young Award race. This year, it's simply a game both the Nationals and Mets desperately need to win as a team, regardless of the men on the mound.

Neither Scherzer nor deGrom is pitching at a Cy Young caliber right now, though you could argue Scherzer would be in the thick of the early race if not for the Nationals' defense and bullpen. (Hence the massive disparity between his 3.72 ERA and league-best 2.44 Fielding Independent Pitching.) On the other side of the coin, deGrom also has some disparity between the two (3.98 ERA, 3.24 FIP) but hasn't come close to matching his otherworldly performance from 2018.

The Nationals will hope to score some runs off deGrom, hope to get a long start out of Scherzer and then hope the bridge to Sean Doolittle isn't very long. It's a lot of hoping, but it's what they have to do at this point.

The good news: They've got a big bat back in their lineup. Matt Adams has been activated off the injured list and will bat fifth tonight. To clear a roster spot for him, the Nats optioned Adrián Sanchez to Double-A Harrisburg.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 72 degrees, wind 6 mph out to left field

NATIONALS (19-29)
SS Trea Turner
RF Adam Eaton
3B Anthony Rendon
LF Juan Soto
1B Matt Adams
C Kurt Suzuki
2B Brian Dozier
CF Victor Robles
RHP Max Scherzer

METS (22-25)
SS Amed Rosario
LF J.D. Davis
2B Robinson Canó
1B Pete Alonso
3B Todd Frazier
RF Carlos Gómez
CF Juan Lagares
C Tomas Nido
RHP Jacob deGrom