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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 Friday, June 16, 2017, at 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field. The matchup will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The New York Mets are healthier and playing better baseball. They sit second in the NL East, but are miles behind the Washington Nationals. Washington currently holds a comfortable 9.5-game lead, but the Mets will try and eat into that lead this weekend. The second game of this four game weekend set will be in Primetime.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Nationals are clearly the better team. Their massive divisional lead and 4-2 record so far this year against the Mets makes that obvious.
Washington has a dominating offense even with its injuries. With the Mets’ pitching ranked near the bottom of baseball in most categories, it seems like a rather large mismatch.
That said, it’s important to remember that the Mets are getting healthy and pitching better lately. They’ve won four of their last five, giving up just a single run a piece in those four wins. While the loss was a blow out, there’s still optimism right now around the Mets.
The Nationals, despite the record, have a different aura around them. They’ve seen their bullpen implode time and time again and the clubhouse has started to deteriorate as a result.
The Nationals won on Tuesday to snap a four game skid that included a loss despite scoring 10 runs. That’s on the pen.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Friday night’s matchup will include a Cy Young Award winner and a struggling former prospect.
The Nationals clearly have the upper hand on the mound to start the game, sending Max Scherzer to the hill opposite of Robert Gsellman.
The Mets’ 23-year old right-hander has been pitching better lately as he desperately tries to hold onto a rotation spot with Steven Matz and Seth Lugo back and healthy.
In the middle of May, Gsellman lost his starting spot and saw his ERA peak at 7.12. Since rejoining the rotation, Gsellman has made four starts, delivering three quality starts. The lone exception was a 5.1 inning appearance where he allowed just two runs.
Gsellman’s ERA is now down to 4.95 and he’s 5-3. The Mets are 9-5 in games he’s pitched a 7-4 in games he’s started despite the early season struggles.
Overall, in his last four games, he’s pitched to a 2.16 ERA and he’s coming off a 6.2-inning shutout of the Braves. Pitch efficiency is still an issue at times, but he’s showing better command in and out of the strike zone.
As for Scherzer, he’s coming off a loss to the Rangers although he pitched reasonably well. In that game, he went seven, giving up three runs on three hits and striking out 10. He’s now struck out double digits in four straight games and has reached the 2,000 strikeout milestone for his career.
Scherzer is repeating his Cy Young season here in 2017. He’s made 13 starts and only two of those were not a quality start by definition. He’s given up more than three runs just once all year and the Nats are 8-5 in his starts. The numbers would be better than that if he had any support in the back of the bullpen.
The Washington bullpen is, without a doubt, the team’s biggest weakness, but it’s minimized when Scherzer pitches as he tends to go deep in games, limiting the pen’s exposure.
Overall, Scherzer is 7-4 with a 2.36 ERA and 0.851 WHIP. His WHIP leads the league as does his 2.79 FIP and 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Scherzer has made 13 starts against New York in his career. He’s 6-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 0.880 WHIP against the Mets.
LIVE BETTING
This game features two teams in very different spots. Both have suspect bullpens which could make the game interesting late, though New York’s will be more exposed as Gsellman cannot be counted on to go deep. He typically reaches into triple-digits in his pitch count by the sixth.
Offensively, both the Nationals and Mets are very power driven. Washington ranks first in the NL in home runs. The Mets are third.
For Washington, Ryan Zimmerman continues to slug. He’s now cranked 19 home runs and 52 RBIs to go along with his .372 average. He’s a Triple Crown candidate at this point. The same can be said for Harper who is hitting .316 with 16 homers and 49 RBIs.
The Mets, meanwhile, have Jay Bruce who has hit 17 bombs already. Michael Conforto and Lucas Duda offer a bit of extra pop. Yoenis Cespedes is back now, too.
QUICK PICK
The Nationals have the ace on the mound and a similar style offense that offers more power, more average and more speed. The only questionable part of this team is the bullpen and that’s a similar issue for New York.
Daniel Murphy has also been Babe Ruth against his former team.
Overall, look for Scherzer to shut down the Mets over seven, giving the bullpen just a couple innings to worry about. The offense should mount enough of a lead in that time give the pen more than enough of a buffer to close this one out.
MLB Odds: Nationals 6, Mets 3
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