(Photo credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images)

For the Washington Nationals, a weekend series against the New York Mets is another chance to emerge as a serious contender in the National League wild-card race.

For the Mets, this weekend might be their last chance to begin climbing out of the NL East basement.

The Nationals will look to build off Cade Cavalli's gem Friday night, when they visit the Mets in the opener of a three-game series between the division foes.

Left-hander Andrew Alvarez (2-3, 3.76 ERA) is slated to start for the Nationals against Mets right-hander Robert Stock (0-2, 10.13).

Cavalli carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning Thursday afternoon, when the host Nationals salvaged the finale of a three-game series by earning a 7-0 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs. The Mets had the day off following a 6-3 loss to the host Atlanta Braves in the decisive contest of a three-game set on Wednesday.

With the win, Washington remained five games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the race for the final NL wild card spot. The Nationals are 5-5 since the Aug. 3 trade deadline, when they traded everyday players Curtis Mead and Luis Garcia Jr. and ace Foster Griffin.

Washington hasn't made the playoffs since 2019, when it won the franchise's lone World Series. The Nationals have finished last in the division in five of the past six seasons and haven't lost fewer than 91 games in any of the five full seasons since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

'We've got a lot of ball left,' said Cavalli, whose bid for history ended when Michael Busch delivered the Cubs' only hit, a bloop single with two outs in the seventh. 'We never know. We can get hot. We're ready to keep competing.'

The Mets, who haven't finished in last place in the NL East since 2003, have continued competing since waving the white flag at the trade deadline.

Despite dealing starting pitchers Clay Holmes and Freddy Peralta, relievers Huascar Brazoban, A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver, as well as reserve outfielder Tyrone Taylor, New York won four in a row and six of seven immediately after the deadline.

But despite strong outings from rookies Nolan McLean and Zac Thornton on Tuesday and Wednesday night, the Mets now have lost two in a row. New York never led in the final two games against the Braves as they fell 6 1/2 games behind the fourth-place Nationals in the division.

McLean, the Mets' most consistent pitcher this season, gave up just one hit -- an Ozzie Albies homer -- over six innings in Tuesday's 4-0 loss. Thornton allowed three runs in six innings Wednesday, when the Mets were limited to seven hits by Tyler Mahle and a trio of relievers.

'We did not do much against Mahle, obviously,' interim Mets manager Andy Green said. 'But Zac did a quality job.'

Alvarez didn't factor into the decision in his most recent start last Saturday, when he allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings as the Nationals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 8-2. Stock took the defeat last Saturday after giving up eight runs over three innings in the Mets' 9-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Alvarez is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA and one save in two career games (one start) against the Mets. Stock made his lone appearance against the Nationals on Aug. 28, 2020, when he allowed one run over two innings of relief for the Boston Red Sox in their 10-2 loss.

--Field Level Media