A pair of National League East rivals will get together at Citi Field on Thursday for the first of a four-game series. The visiting team, from Washington – have won five out of their last six. The Nationals took two out of three at home to the Rockies, which came after sweeping the Giants. Washington is 43-59 on the season, but remain in last place in the National League East. The Mets fell on Wednesday to the Yankees, as the two teams split the two games. The Mets are now 47-54 on the season.
The New York Mets are big favorites in this game. New York is listed at -195 over the Nationals. If you like the run line, the Mets are -1.5 at +100 and the Nationals are +1.5 at -120. The total for this game is listed at 9.
Washington Running Hot
Washington will turn to Josiah Gray in this game. Gray is 7-8 on the season, and has a 3.45 earned run average. Gray, 25 years old, has 98 strikeouts on the season. His last start came in July 22nd, as he took on the Giants at home. In that game, Gray was solid, going 7 strong innings, and allowing just one run.
The Nationals need all the outs they could get in the win on Wednesday. The Nationals trailed the Rockies 4-1 heading into the 9th, and with some help from the Colorado pitching, and C.J Abrams driving in two, the Nationals won game 5-4. The win for Washington was their fifth in their last six games.
Abrams has come onto his own a little more this season, and starting to be the player they traded for last season. Lane Thomas, was an All-Star, and there is talk about him being traded at the deadline. Thomas leads the team, with a .293 batting average, 16 home runs, and 54 runs batted in. Jeimer Candelario also has 16 big flies.
New York Suffering Through Difficult Season
After the Tuesday win, the Mets were hoping to take both games, and three out of four on the series from the Yankees, but the offense fell short. The Mets continue to struggle to win consistently, as they are now 24-32 on the road.
Pete Alonso is having a productive season with the power once again for the Mets. The slugger is hitting just .218, but his 28 home runs is near the top of all Major League hitters. Alonso also has 68 runs batted in. The Mets as a team are hiting .238, which is in the bottom third of all of Major League Baseball.
Kodai Senga will be the Mets starting pitcher. Senga is a 30-year-old Japanese pitcher that has made 18 starts on the season. He is 7-5 with a 3.27 this season. His last one was not good, as he lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 earned runs against the Red Sox. His previous three starts saw 29 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched.
Mets Win Opening Game of Series
The New York Mets are going to win this first game of the season. Senga has some sneaky stuff, and will keep the Washington offense off-balance. Look for the Mets to hit a couple of home runs at home, and win this game. Betting the New York Mets -1.5 at even money is the bet to make on Thursday.
