The Washington Nationals and New York Mets conclude their National League East showdown series on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. The top two teams in the division tangle but nothing will be decided in this series. The teams have six head-to-head meetings remaining with the final three games of the 2015 season played at Citi Field.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Nationals have a chance to increase their lead in the NL East, which grew by two games in the two days before the series began. The Nats won the final two in Miami while the Mets were stunned by San Diego when the Pads scored three in the ninth and overcame a 7-1 deficit to hand the Metropolitans a stunning 8-7 loss on Thursday. A 7-3 loss preceded that. Washington isn’t too concerned about playing in New York, either. The Nats haven’t lost a road series with the Mets since their first meeting in 2013, going 18-3 since with three shutouts in the last five games. The Nats lost Jordan Zimmerman’s last start, but had gone unbeaten in his six previous turns, including an outing against the Mets on July 22.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Jordan Zimmerman (8-6, 3.36 ERA) lost for the first time since June 17 after the Marlins scored three times in six innings against him on Tuesday. He’s held opponents to three or fewer runs in seven of his last eight turns.
This will be Zimmerman’s third start against the Mets this year with both coming in D.C. He went 1-0 while allowing four earned runs in 13 innings. He recently took a no-decision against them on July 22, allowing three runs in seven innings. He’s made 10 starts at Citi Field, his most at any visiting ballpark, and is 5-2 with a 2.75 ERA over 55.2 innings there.
Fresh off his best start where he tossed eight scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against San Diego on Tuesday, Noah Syndergaard (5-5, 2.70 ERA) will face the Nats for the second time in 12 days. He lost his bid for a perfect game and no-hitter when Will Venable led off the seventh with a single. It was one of only three hits he allowed without a walk. He’s been masterful on the Citi Field mound going 5-1 with a 1.46 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with 51 strikeouts over 49.1 innings of seven starts.
Syndergaard held the Nationals to one run in five innings in their first meeting, taking a no-decision.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“Don’t get me wrong, this is an important series. But let’s not try to get ahead and say this is September 15th when you are living and dying with every pitch. At this stage, you have to try to win all the games. Every series is a big series.” – Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, who will not face the Mets in their weekend series.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
The second suspension of Jenrry Mejia couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Mets. Luckily, they grabbed another reliever with closer experience in Tyler Clippard, who may soon be New York’s closer after another implosion from Jeurys Familia, who blew his third consecutive save Thursday in a devastating 8-7 loss to San Diego. In five games since the All-Star break, Familia has given up six runs on 10 hits, including two home runs, and has a loss and three blown saves in 5.1 innings. Prior to the break he was 27 of 29 in save chances with a 1.25 ERA. Manager Terry Collins says Familia is still the team’s closer but Clippard, who saved 17 games with the Athletics before the trade, offers some protection for the ninth inning should Familia stumble some more.
PROP TALK
Mets’ starter Noah Syndergaard has been filthy at home all season and particularly over his last four starts. He’s 3-0 with a no-decision in those games posting a 0.90 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 30 innings. More impressively, the rookie right-hander has allowed just 14 hits with four walks for a ridiculous 0.60 WHIP. He doesn’t give up a lot of hits and the Nationals aren’t exactly ripping the cover off the baseball. Look for the total on his hits allowed for this game and seriously consider the under.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
As much success as the Nationals have had at Citi Field recently, it’s hard to think they can dent Mets’ rookie pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who’s been brilliant on his home hill. The issue for the Mets is do they have enough offense to back up their masterful young arms. New York continues to be the worst hitting team in baseball and has scored the fewest runs so it won’t take much from Jordan Zimmerman to shut them down. The Mets’ will need another near perfect performance from their rookie and he’s delivered so far.
New York 3, Washington 1
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, player props and inning totals. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets is scheduled for Sunday, August 2, 2015, at 8:08 p.m. ET at Citi Field. The matchup can be seen live on ESPN.
