The Washington Nationals will be facing off against their divisional rival New York Mets at Citi Field. Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will be televising the matchup and the game is scheduled to get going at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Washington Nationals at New York Mets Odds
Both teams have equal -105 moneyline odds and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this night game at 7.5 runs (+100 for the under and -120 for the over). Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds standing at Nationals -1.5 runs (+140) and Mets 1.5 runs (-160).
The Nationals are 8-9 SU and are 7-10 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 6.5 units for moneyline bettors in the season’s early going and 3.1 units ATS. Washington is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Mets, on the other hand, are 12-3 SU and 10-5 ATS. The team’s gained 9.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 7.0 units ATS. New York has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven.
New York games have an over/under record of 7-8 thus far in 2018. The Nationals have an over/under record of 8-7-2.
Gio Gonzalez will get the nod for the visiting Nationals. The southpaw Gonzalez is 1-1 with a 2.20 ERA and 20 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with six strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA against New York this year (three starts).
The Mets are turning to righty Zack Wheeler (1-0, 1.29 ERA), who’s got seven strikeouts and one walks as well as a 0.43 WHIP. Wheeler has yet to face the Nationals this year, but he made two starts against them in 2017, compiling a 0-1 record with a 3.86 ERA and 10 strikeouts.
As a unit, New York’s pitchers have yielded 3.4 runs per game overall this season. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.38, a WHIP of 1.09 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 10.9. The bullpen has posted a solid ERA of just 2.28, a WHIP of 1.21 and a K/9 of 10.6. In nine games against divisional opponents, Mets starters have an ERA of 2.81 and the bullpen’s ERA is 2.48.
The New York offense is putting up 4.7 runs per contest, including 5.0 per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .217/.313/.401 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera and third baseman Todd Frazier have led the Mets’ offense so far. Cabrera is hitting .356/.397/.644 with 21 hits, seven RBIs and 14 runs scored, and Frazier’s line is .313/.453/.542 with 15 hits, 11 RBIs and eight runs.
Cabrera seemed to have some trouble hitting lefty pitching at home in 2017, slashing .268/.288/.286 across 59 such plate appearances (his total season line was .280/.351/.434).
In the other dugout, Washington’s pitchers have allowed 4.5 runs per game and its starters own a 3.38 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 10.13 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.85, along with a K/9 of 11.32.
The Nationals offense has slashed .235/.341/.394 on its way to 4.4 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Outfielder Bryce Harper and second baseman Howie Kendrick have led Washington’s hitters. Harper is slashing .315/.487/.778 with eight home runs, 17 RBIs and 17 runs scored, while Kendrick is hitting .309/.345/.527 with two homers, seven RBIs and five runs scored.
Maintaining a slash line of .319/.438/.681 across 176 such plate appearances, Harper seemed to enjoy hitting right-handed pitching on the road in 2017 (compared to his overall season slash line of .317/.411/.596).
The Nationals have lost 2.1 units and are 6-7 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in seven of those games, compared to five that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Mets have netted 3.5 units and are 3-0 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in one of those games, compared to two which went under the total.
Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Mets, ATS Winner – Mets, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Trends
New York has recorded 19.7 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 17.6 over its last five.
The Nationals have hit nine home runs in their last 10 games, including six over their last five.
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