andwill pitch the team's first series of the season against the Nationals in DC, Terry Collins told reporters Monday.

Colon will be making his seventh career Opening Day start and will become the oldest Mets pitcher to start on Opening Day.

“It’s always an honor to start on Opening Day," Colon said. "Anyone on the staff could have been named the Opening Day starter. I’m looking forward to it. I think we’ve got a chance to have a great season and I want to do my part.”

Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog.com

This is the right group for these games, not because it's the first series of the season, not because of the pomp and circumstance, blah, blah, blah, but because it's three of 19 games against the Nationals and every game counts. These are the best three pitchers suited to pitch against them in their ballpark. The Mets struggled so badly against the Nationals last season, while playing above .500 against everyone else, that every game against Washington should be managed like a playoff game in 2015.

Colon faced 55 hitters from the Nationals last season and gave up 10 hits and six runs, and Harvey and deGrom are Harvey and deGrom. It's the right group for what is an oddly important series of games so early in the season.