The Washington Nationals and New York Mets meet today at 4:10 p.m. E.T. at Citi Field for the third game of their four-game series. Thus far, the Nats have taken the first two easily. The Mets started the series on a roll, having gained a few games on Washington, knocking the distance between the first-place Nats and second-place Mets to 8.5 games. Now NY is in third and 10.5 games behind the NL East Division leading Nationals. Our Washington Nationals play NY Mets MLB free pick has the visitors at -151 and home team at +149. The total is 8.5runs with the over at -120 and the under at +100. The game will start at 4:10 p.m. E.T.
Pitching
Right-hander Stephen Strasburg (7-2, 3.27 ERA) starts to the Nats today. His last start, which was on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, was rocky as he allowed six runs over five innings. The runs are a season-high for him and the innings are a season-low. Although he did not pitch well, he still had a chance to win the game until the bullpen gave up the game and Washington lost 11-10. Over his career, Strasberg has has 13 career starts versus the Mets posting a 7-4 record and an ERA of 2.64.
The New York Mets counter with righty Seth Lugo (1-0, 1.29 ERA). This marks the second start of the season for Lugo. He missed the initial 60 games of this season due to a torn UCL. Last Monday, he beat the Atlanta Braves in his first start of the season. The final score was 2-1. Lugo has limited experience in the majors, but has shown solid promise. His strong start on Monday offers the NY Mets some real hope in this game.
Hitting
As a team, the Nats lead the league in batting average at .276, on-base percentage at .341, and slugging percentage at .475. The Mets are lacking and under average in all of those areas, posting the following numbers, .246/.319/.439. Wahsington has something no other team has, the top hitter in MLB.
The top hitter is Ryan Zimmerman (.361 BA, 53 RBI, 19 RBI) is a major force on this team. Daniel Murphy (.344 BA, 45 RBI, 11 HR) and Bryce Harper (.320 BA, 51 RBI, 17 HR) offer plenty of more clout. Together these three hitters have smacked 53 doubles this season.
With a .286 BA, Matt Conforto tops all everyday Mat players. Conforto has 36 RBI, 14 HR and 13 2B. Jay Bruce (.270 BA, 47 RBI, 18 HR) tops the team in RBI and homers, while Neil Walker (.270 BA, 33 RBI, 9 HR) has offered decent output.
Washington Nationals Play NY Mets MLB Free Pick
The RS and RA totals for these teams are both on different planes as are their run differentials. The Nat RS, which is second best in the NL, is at 360, while their fourth-place RA is at 300. Their differential is +70. The Mets RS of 322 is sixth in the league, while their RA stand at 351, which is 14th in the NL. The Nats are 4-6 for their last 10 but have won the last two, while the Mets are 6-4 having lost their last two. The Mets’ Lugo looked good in his first start while the Nats’ Strasburg did not. Our Washington Nationals play NY Mets MLB free pick is the New York at +149 and under 8.5 at +100.
Washington Nationals Play NY Mets MLB Free Pick: New York at +149 and under 8.5 at +100
