The Washington Nationals will already be mad enough they lost their season opener to the divisional rival New York Mets. During the second game of the season, the Nationals will have to try and best an old friend and pitcher who helped carry Washington to its first World Series title in 2019. Max Scherzer will make his debut for the Mets against the Nationals Friday night. Let’s take a look at this Mets vs Nationals Betting Analysis.
MLB betting, though, doesn’t revolve just around the impact of one player on a game, Collectively, Washington’s offense looked pretty punchless in the season opener. The Nationals will need to find a way to get more runners on base than they did Thursday if they are going to challenge New York and even its record.
How often teams get revenge against former players isn’t something that is often found in betting guides. There is already enough bad blood between these NL East rivals that one player having played for the other team may not move the needle that much.
Last games records
New York beat Washington 5-1 on April 7. The Mets are 1-0, while the Nationals are 0-1.
Matchup Information
Mets vs Nationals Betting Analysis
Mets Betting Analysis
The Mets didn’t display much power Thursday but demonstrated a lot of patience at the plate. New York pounded out 12 hits and drew four walks in its victory. MLB betting trends show that the Mets only finished with two doubles against Washington, with Eduardo Escobar and J.D. Davis both collected double for New York. The Mets’ pitching staff was able to induce a lot of swings and misses from Washington, racking up 10 strikeouts.
New York’s lineup had five different players drive in runs. MLB expert picks show it is hard to wager against Scherzer when he’s on the mound, even at age 37. In a season split between Washington and Los Angeles last season, Scherzer compiled a 15-4 record. With the Dodgers, Scherzer was 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA. New York is happy that centerfielder Starling Marte showed what he can do in the opener. Marte drove in a run and singled as the Mets’ lead-off hitter.
Nationals Betting Analysis
Nationals pitcher Josiah Gray will make his 13th start with Washington since coming over in a trade with the Dodgers last season. The 24-year-old righty was 2-2 last season in 12 starts. Gray finished with a 5.31 ERA in 62.2 innings of work. Gray also struck out 63 batters.
Washington had a difficult team swinging the bat in its opener, striking out 10 times. The Nationals scattered six hits and drew two walks. With runners in scoring position, Washington went 1-of-7 from the plate. The Nationals’ only run came off the bat of a Juan Soto home run in the sixth inning.
Washington catcher Keibert Ruiz was the only player to collect two hits or more. Ruiz had a double and single for the Nationals.
Updates
Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom and Jake Reed are both on the 10-day IL. Washington placed third baseman Ehire Adrianza on the 10-day IL with a quadriceps injury. The Nationals also placed pitchers Will Harris and Seth Romero on the 60-day IL.
Mets vs Nationals Betting Preview
Sports betting guides have the Mets as -182 on the moneyline, while the Nationals are +155. The over/under is set at nine runs. New York is -1.5 -112 on the run line, while Washington is +1.5 -112.
Mets vs Nationals Prediction
Sports betting guides show this matchup, as far as the starting pitching goes, is heavily tipped in the favor of New York. While Scherzer will eventually have to slow down as he gets older, Washington doesn’t have the lineup to trouble the crafty veterans. The Nationals don’t have the lineup to keep up with Scherzer.
New York’s offense impressed during the season opener and will get another chance to tee off against a young pitcher still trying to find his groove. Gray will have a hard time keeping the Mets off the basepaths. New York has shown it has a lineup capable of waiting for pitches they like to hit. The Mets will parlay that into a 2-0 start to the season.
Bet the Mets -182.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.