Newest Met Tyler Clippard says Nationals are "beatable"

The latest Mets' acquisition, relief pitcher Tyler Clippard, played for the Washington Nationals for seven seasons before being traded to the Oakland Athletics this past offseason. Now that Clippard is a member of the Mets, he thinks that the Nationals will not be coasting their way to the division crown.

"They're beatable," said Clippard the day after he was acquired from Oakland. "There's no perfect team in baseball right now. everybody is vulnerable."

Clippard was acquired for minor league right-hander Casey Meisner on Monday and is expected to take over eighth inning duties as primary setup man to Mets' closer Jeurys Familia. He was 1-3 with a 2.79 ERA with 17 saves in 21 opportunities for the Athletics. He has also held left-handed batters to a minuscule .100 batting average (seven hits in 70 at-bats) this season.

The Mets currently trail the Nationals by two games in the National League East. The two teams play nine more times head-to-head this season, including a three-game set that begins this Friday at Citi Field.