The Mets look to start a successful roadtrip tonight when they face the Nats at Nationals Park, starting at 7:05 EST. Johan Santana will look for his 10th win, and will be opposed by southpaw Odalis Perez. The game can be seen on SNY and can be heard on WFAN.

Keys to the Game:

• At This Point, We Need 9: If we all lived in a perfect world, Santana would throw a nine inning complete game every time out. That’s not always the case, but tonight we need Johan to toughen up and make an exception. The bullpen is fried, overworked, and is downright terrible right now. We all know Santana’s track record says he’s not a nine inning guy, but we could really use him tonight.
• Blastro Makes His Return: Ramon Castro makes his first start in a week and a half since he injured his ankle on a play at the plate against the Astros last Saturday. Castro’s bat is vital to this team’s success, so it is great to have him back.

For a lineup, head to Adam Rubin’s blog for the Daily News.

For in-game chat, banter, and discussion head on over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.