Thursday's matchup between the Mets and Nationals is set to get started at 11:05 AM ET from Nationals Park in Washington, DC. The Mets are the slight favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -114 compared to the Nationals at -105. The over/under line is currently at 9 runs.
Jose Quintana is starting for the Mets, and he will be facing off against Jake Irvin for the Nationals. New York is 42-42 this season, while the Nationals are 40-46, putting them 4th in the NL East. MLBN is carrying this one on TV.
New York vs. Washington Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Mets at Nationals
- Where: Nationals Park Washington
- Date: Thursday, July 4th
- Betting Odds NYM -114 | WSH -105 O/U 9
Mets vs Nationals Last Game Recap
Washington rallied for three runs in the 6th inning in the most recent game of this Mets-Nationals series. The Nationals scored two runs in the 1st inning but didn't score another run until putting up three in the 6th, picking up a 7-5 win. Heading into the game, the Nationals were at +109 on the money line.
Mitchell Parker only went six innings for the Nationals but gave up just five hits and five earned runs. He finished the game with five strikeouts and didn't issue a walk. Jacob Barnes got the win out of the bullpen, and Kyle Finnegan got the save.
Christian Scott struggled on the mound for the Mets, going just 5 2/3 innings while giving up four runs and took the loss. He did finish the game with two strikeouts. Jake Diekman got the loss out of the bullpen.
Mets Preview
Heading into today's game, the Mets are 42-42 overall and 14 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. They have a 13-11 record in divisional games. New York has won three straight series on the road and their overall series record is 12-13-3. The Mets have taken two of three from the Nationals so far and are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
On the run line, the Mets are 23-15 on the road and 40-44 overall. Their average run margin is +0.2 runs per game, and their games have averaged 9.7 runs this season. The over/under record for Mets games with a total of 9 runs is 4-2-3, and only 10.7% of their games have had totals set at 9 runs.
Jose Quintana gets the start for the Mets today as he faces the Nationals on the road. So far this season, he has made 16 starts and has a record of 3-5 with an ERA of 4.57. Quintana's WHIP for the season is currently 1.37. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going four innings and giving up two earned runs on six hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Quintana has made five quality starts this season and is averaging 7.08 strikeouts per nine innings. Overall, he has allowed 13 home runs.
As a team, the Mets are averaging 4.9 runs per game, which is 6th in the league. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.8 runs per contest. Overall, the Mets are the 4th ranked home run hitting team in the league and are batting a collective .249.
Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos have been two of the Mets' hottest hitters of late, with Lindor batting .310 over his last nine games, and Vientos has gone 12/35 with five homers in that stretch. Lindor is also on a three-game hitting streak. For the season, Lindor is hitting .249 with 15 homers, and Pete Alonso is batting .244 with a team-high 18 homers.
Nationals Preview
Washington has struggled this season, with a 40-46 record and currently sitting in 4th place in the NL East, 17 games behind the Phillies. They have lost two straight series and are 11-14-1 in series play this year.
On the run line, the Nationals have a 49-37 record, with an average run margin of +3.4 in wins and -3.4 in losses. When the O/U line is set at 9 runs, their record is 3-5-2, and the average total for their games is 8.5 runs.
Jake Irvin has made 17 starts this season and has a record of 6-6 to go along with an ERA of 3.03. So far, he has turned in 11 quality starts and is averaging 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Irvin picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one earned run. Looking back over his last four outings, he has given up just one earned run in three of them. The right-hander has been much better on the road, coming in with a record of 5-1 and an ERA of 2.47 compared to 1-5 with a 4.6 ERA at home.
Washington's offense comes into the game averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. This is also the 19th best mark in terms of road games. As a team, they are batting just .235, but they have been one of the better teams in terms of avoiding strikeouts. So far, they have the 6th fewest strikeouts in the league.
Over the team's last eight games, CJ Abrams has gone 9/24 with one home run and has scored six runs. Abrams is batting .283 for the season and leads the Nationals with 43 RBIs. Joey Meneses is also batting just .235 this season but has gone deep three times in 2023 and is currently on a three-game hitting streak.
Mets vs. Nationals Prediction: Nationals ML -105
Our predicted final score for this Mets vs. Nationals matchup is 6-5 in favor of the Nationals. With the Nationals being the underdog at -105, we see this as a great value pick and are recommending taking them on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Jose Quintana finishing with more strikeouts than Jake Irvin. However, we have Irvin finishing with more innings and Quintana giving up fewer runs.
