In the first of a three-game series between the New York Mets (89-70) and the Washington Nationals (81-78) at Citi Field, Noah Syndergaard (9-7, 3.34 ERA) and Gio Gonzalez (11-8, 3.93 ERA) get the ball. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 2 and will air on MAS2 and SNY.
In his most recent outing, Syndergaard pitched 7.2 innings, allowing two runs and striking out 11 in a 12-5 victory over the Reds. The Nationals were unsuccessful to the Phillies 12-5 the last time Gonzalez pitched. He went 5.0 innings, giving up two runs, striking out three and walking two. Ryan Zimmerman (.249, 43 Rs, 16 HRs, 73 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run.
New York, a -144 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Washington. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at seven runs. The Mets perform well as a favorite with a 71-32 record and have an overall money line of +762. They have performed well against their division to earn a SU record of 46-27 and a 39-18 record when they were the favorite. New York has averaged 4.8 runs per game during divisional play, higher than its season average of 4.3. The Mets rank fifth in the majors in extra base hits with 485. Turning to the pitching staff, the Mets are second in the league in WHIP at 1.19.
Moving on to the away team, the Nationals come into this game with a weak win percentage of .333 when playing as the underdog (13-26) and an overall money line of -2,039. Against teams in their division, they are 42-31 SU, but have a 2-7 record when they were an underdog to win. During the last 10 games, they averaged 2.6 runs per game, below their 4.4 season average. Washington’s pitching staff tends to perform well when they play division rivals. They’ve allowed an average of 3.4 runs per game against teams from the NL East, lower than their season average of 4.0. They also allow just 2.2 walks per game, best in the NL.
The Mets have gotten the best of the Nationals in head-to-head matchups this season, going 10-6. This game will feature Gonzalez (LHP) on the mound against the Mets, who have an 18-15 record when they take on a left-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Nationals will be the right-hander Syndergaard. They sport a 61-62 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYM, O/U – Over
Notes
Washington earned its 12th shutout of the season in its last game. New York has been shut out 14 times this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Mets are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Nationals have a 12-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Nationals are 13-63. The Mets have a 19-57 record when opponents outhit them.
New York and Washington both rank in the top 10 of the league in home runs. New York sits at eighth with 176 home runs this season and Washington ranks ninth with 174.
Ranking 11th, New York is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.46 per game. Washington ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 8.54.
Ranking 20th, New York is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.719). Washington ranks in the top half at 12th with an OPS of .731.
When the Nationals allow at least one home run, they are 34-49, well-matched with the Mets who are 41-52 when allowing at least one homer.
