for the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates when they open a three-game series Monday with a holiday matinee at PNC Park.In addition Ricky Vaughn Jersey , the stakes will remain fairly pedestrian between the two National League Central also-rans.Cincinnati (59-78) will be playing the final three games of 16 in a row within the division. The Reds are 4-9 so far in that stretch but got a boost from winning two of three against St. Louis over the weekend, including a 6-4, 10-inning win Sunday.Article continues below ...“This series we played better, and we got a W, we got a series (win),” Eugenio Suarez told Fox Sports Ohio after he hit a winning two-run homer, giving him 100 RBIs.Even with a sweep of this series, the last-place Reds would be hard-pressed to catch the fourth-place Pirates in the division but can continue to build for the future.“We’re trying to turn the page from a terrible August and see if we can play better baseball in September and take that into the offseason and into spring training — just get back to winning baseball,” Cincinnati manager Jim Riggleman said.“We want to win games. We don’t care who the opposition is or whether it’s against any of these three (previous) teams competing for playoff spots. We’re not out there trying to spoil their hopes; we just want to win games for ourselves.”There won’t be much the Reds could spoil for the Pirates anyway.Their carrot would seem to be finishing above .500.Pittsburgh (66-71) was 3-6 on a road trip against Milwaukee, St. Louis and Atlanta, and was 2-5 on a preceding homestand against Atlanta and the Chicago Cubs, making it five straight series against clubs holding a playoff spot.The Pirates are coming off a 5-1 loss Sunday to the Braves.In the series opener, Cincinnati right-hander Matt Harvey (6-7 Michael Brantley Jersey , 4.97 ERA) is scheduled to face Pittsburgh righty Trevor Williams (11-9, 3.30 ERA).Williams seemingly is vying for the title of Pirates ace, particularly with his performance since the All-Star break, going 4-2 with a 0.84 ERA in seven starts. Over his past eight starts, he has allowed four runs.Wednesday, Williams pitched six scoreless innings and struck out a career-high eight in Pittsburgh’s 2-0 win at St. Louis.Before his strong stretch, over nine starts he had a 7.02 ERA and competed six innings three times.“It’s fight or flight, really. I didn’t want that to define me this year,” said Williams, who leads Pittsburgh’s starters in ERA and with a 1.19 WHIP. “It was really taking that second half and making the most out of it, where I give our team the best chance to win every five days and execute my pitches and keep the guys in the ballgame.”Against Cincinnati, Williams is 2-1 with a 4.73 ERA in seven career appearances, four of them starts.Harvey is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA in his past four starts.Wednesday against Milwaukee http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , he did not get a decision in a 13-12 extra-inning loss. Harvey struck out six and walked none in four innings but gave up five runs and 11 hits.In eight career starts against Pittsburgh, he is 2-6 with a 6.12 ERA. WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals will try to earn a split of their four-game series with the New York Mets on Sunday, one day after they were officially eliminated from postseason contention.Shortly after Saturday’s game got underway, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the San Francisco Giants to dash the Nationals’ wild-card hopes. Their bid for a third straight National League East crown ended Friday night when the Atlanta Braves won and they lost.“It stings,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of being eliminated. “But we’ve still got seven more games … these guys don’t quit.”Article continues below ...The Nationals in fact turned in a stellar effort Saturday. Rookie Austin Voth and four relievers combined on a one-hitter, and Matt Wieters and Trea Turner homered in their 6-0 victory over the Mets.Voth allowed one infield hit in five innings while striking out five and walking two in his second major league start.“He kept us off balance,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “He had a good curveball, I thought. He was able to throw it for strikes … and then he got it down when he needed to, and his fastball command was pretty good.”The Mets lead the season series 10-8 with one game remaining.Washington, favored to win a third straight division title, slid into third place on June 22 and remained there.“You want to come out and win every year and have a chance to go into the playoffs, but it happens,” Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said of falling short. “That’s why it’s sports and that’s why sports are one of the greatest things in the world Kenny Lofton Jersey , because you never know what’s going to happen.”Mets left-hander Steven Matz (5-11, 4.03 ERA) opposes right-hander Erick Fedde (2-3, 5.02) on Sunday.Matz took his fourth straight no-decision Sept. 18 at Philadelphia. He pitched five shutout innings, giving up two hits and five walks. In his last six starts, he has a 2.29 ERA.“He weathered the storm a bit and came back and started getting in a groove again, and hopefully he can continue to finish strong,” Callaway said. “I think it’s important to finish on a good note and come into next year ready to go.”He also homered for the second consecutive start, becoming the third Mets pitcher (Tom Seaver, 1972; Ron Darling, 1989) to do so. The solo shot came off Cy Young contender Aaron Nola, thereby helping teammate Jacob deGrom.“I told (deGrom), ‘That was for my friend there,'” Matz told the New York Post after raising Nola’s ERA.The left-hander is making his sixth start against the Nationals this season after going 0-3 with a 5.48 in the first five outings. He took the loss the last time he faced them http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , Aug. 26 at Citi Field, despite pitching seven innings of one-run ball.Matz is 1-5 with a 3.63 ERA versus Washington in his career, including 1-1 with a 3.05 ERA at Nationals Park.Fedde, 25, will be making his 10th start of the season. Last time out he allowed two runs, two hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision versus the Marlins. He left after throwing 93 pitches and was unable to fix what was causing the walks.“That’s something I need to be better at,” Fedde told the Washington Post. “Whether you say it’s tough or not, it needs to be done.”He has yet to face the Mets this season and is 0-0 with a 7.50 ERA in one career start against them.