Washington’s injury list has opened the door for the Mets in the NL East, but New York’s inability to produce offense has wasted some of the best pitching in the National League. The teams square off Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Without several of their regulars in the lineup the Nationals have struggled for consistent offense. After getting blanked by LA aces Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw in a pair of losses over the weekend, the Nats wasted little time in getting to Matt Harvey, scoring five times in the first three innings of a 7-2 win in the series opener. It was the most runs Washington scored in over two weeks and they cashed the over for just the fourth time in their last 14 games.
The Mets showed signs of improved road play, winning four of six in LA and San Francisco before the break, but regressed to their inept selves post All-Star Game by losing for the third time in four road contests Monday. The Mets are 16-31 away from Citi Field down 12.9 units on the moneyline and their win total is better only than Miami and Philadelphia. The Mets are 3-5 against the Nats this season following Monday’s loss with two of their wins coming in Nationals Park.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Noah Syndergaard (4-5, 3.05 ERA) is still seeking his first career road win in his seventh start away from Citi Field. He fell to 0-4 on the road in a tough-luck 3-2 loss to the Cardinals on Friday, giving up just two runs on five hits in seven innings. Not only is he winless on the road, his ERA in six road starts (4.74) is nearly three runs higher than at home (1.74).
Syndergaard will face the Nationals for the first time when he makes his 13th start of the season.
Jordan Zimmerman (8-5, 3.27 ERA) had his last start cut short due to a power outage. He completed four innings allowing three hits and two runs Friday against Los Angeles before the game was suspended. Zimmerman hasn’t lost a game in more than a month going 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA in five starts since his last defeat on June 17. He’s had pinpoint accuracy over that stretch walking just two batters while striking out 24 over 31.2 innings.
Zimmerman got the win on Apr. 8 tossing six innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 victory over the Mets. He’s had a stellar career against them going 8-5 with a 2.91 ERA in 123.2 innings over 21 starts.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“The other day, I was walking to the park and Cal Ripken was out there signing autographs in the parking lot. He grabbed me and he said, ‘Hey, back in ’93, through the first 80 games, I was hitting .199. I finished with a pretty good year. You’re going to be all right.’ And that kind of gave me a little bit of hope. If he did it and grinded through it, I can too.” – Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
New York’s offensive troubles have been well chronicled over the last few months, but those struggles took another nasty leap over the last few ball games. A day after leaving 25 men on base and going 1 for 26 with runners in scoring position in an 18-inning victory at St. Louis, the Mets left 10 men on and went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position in Monday’s series opening 7-2 loss. New York was just 3 for 37 with runners in scoring position during the three-game series in St. Louis and is an unsightly 4 for 65 with RISP over their last eight games.
PROP TALK
Yunel Escobar has been quite a find for the Nationals, playing third base in the absence of Anthony Rendon, who remains on the disabled list. Escobar had an RBI single in Monday’s win and is hitting .345 in his last 21 games to take some of the offensive load off the shoulders of Bryce Harper. Escobar’s average hasn’t dropped below .300 since going 5 for 5 against Miami on May 5 and he’s batting .323 with five home runs and 30 RBIs.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Nationals continue their brutal stretch against top-level starters and get their first look at Mets’ rookie Noah Syndergaard. The Nats certainly won’t be fazed after dealing with Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom in the last four games. And as good as Syndergaard is, he’s had difficulty on the road, posting a 4.73 ERA with zero wins in six road starts. That’s a positive for the Nats, who only need a couple in this one for the win.
Washington 4, New York 1
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
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 New York Mets and Washington Nationals is scheduled for Wednesday, July 22, 2015, at 12:35 p.m. ET at Nationals Park. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
