If your favorite baseball team isn't playing tonight, make the games more interesting by betting on MLB odds at BookMaker Sportsbook! This is the only online wagering outlet that offers early MLB moneylines, runlines and totals. First pitch for the game between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets is scheduled for Sunday, April 23, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at Citi Field. The matchup can be seen live on ESPN.
The Washington Nationals and New York Mets will wrap up their first head-to-head series of the year on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. With five more series between these teams before the end of the seasons, there’s plenty more battles to be had between these two teams likely to be fighting it out down the stretch for the division. For now, each will look to put a nice finishing touch on the first series.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Nationals are pounding the baseball right now. They headed into Thursday with a .846 team OPS. That’s tops in baseball while their 237 total bases ranks second.
Washington is getting production up-and-down the lineup even with Trea Turner still on the shelf. Ryan Zimmerman has been crushing the ball. He’s already hit four home runs and driven in 11 which would be really impressive it not for Harper’s six bombs and 18 RBIs.
Just 14 games in, the Nats already have three players—including Daniel Murphy—with at last 10 RBIs and they’re getting great production out of every position other than short and third. As for third, Anthony Rendon may be breaking out of his early season slump. He went 3-for-6 on Wednesday with a run scored in the second spot in the order.
The Mets’ offense has scored nine fewer runs and recorded 43 fewer bases, but they’ve hit five more home runs than Washington.
New York is a boom or bust offensive team and they’re going against a pitcher that’s yet to allow a home run.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
With just three starts since 2014, Zack Wheeler is ready for primetime as he gets the nod for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball opposite Max Scherzer.
While a finger injury cast some doubt over the reigning Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer has looked like his normal self to start the year, allowing just three earned runs in 19.2 innings. Now, he has allowed five total runs and given up seven walks which is a bit uncharacteristic, but he’s holding the opposition to just 10 hits and keeping them in the ballpark while striking out 24.
Scherzer has enjoyed pitching at Citi Field and has a 1.60 ERA in six career starts, he’s also 5-3 with a 1.83 ERA lifetime against the Mets. He’s faired very well against most of the Mets’ players though Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson each have hit him well with a pair of home runs. Given the way Jay Bruce and Yoenis Cespedes are swinging the bat right now, though, it seems only one of the two will get the start.
As for Wheeler, he’s been about as rusty as you’d expected given his time rehabbing, but he started to put things together in his last start, giving up just one in five innings to the Phillies.
While Wheeler did take 99 pitches to get through five in that start, he struck out seven Phillies and allowed just four hits and two walks. He’ll need to be more pitch efficient to make it deep in to this game, but he’s at least doing a better job of keeping hitters off balance.
Even if Wheeler is returning to form, that may not be a bad thing for the Nationals. Washington is 2-6 in his eight career starts against him and the young right-hander has a 5.09 ERA in those starts, spanning 46 innings. Zimmerman and Rendon have been especially effective against him, hitting .385 and .333 respectively with three combined homers. Harper has also gone yard against him.
LIVE BETTING
Blake Treinen is out at closer for the Nationals and the closing duties will be split between Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover.
A dual-closer or closer-by-committee arrangement rarely works for a full season and this is likely a temporary fix, but it shows that Dusty Baker is comfortable giving the job to anyone right now.
For a team that’s had most everything else go right, the bullpen has been the exception. Washington’s pen has a 6.08 cumulative ERA, the third highest in the sport. They’re scoring runs and getting good starting pitching, but the pen has put a number of games at risk—losing others.
This isn’t just a closer issue, but maybe reshuffling the deck chairs will help get this unit back on track.
Of course, the Mets’ bullpen hasn’t exactly been lights out either, but it has been better despite the most loses in the majors.
New York has at least gotten four saves out of Addison Reed in the ninth and with Juerys Familia back, they’ve got a couple arms to count on. The issue will just be if Wheeler can be more pitch efficient to allow the middle arms some rest.
QUICK PICK
New York may have a very slight edge in the bullpen, but everything else leans in the favor the Nationals who have their ace on the hill against a pitcher with just three big league starts in three years.
The Nationals also have a much more diverse lineup with Adam Eaton serving well atop the order in Turner’s absence. They’ve got enough power to keep up with New York in a slugfest, but they’re better equipped to manufacture a few runs if needed, too, and considering who they’ve got on the bump that is likely enough—at least until the bullpen comes in.
MLB Odds: Nationals 6, Mets 3
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