Washinton Nationals vs. New York Mets Prediction: Can the Nationals Win at Home?
Today, the Washington Nationals host the New York Mets. Can the home team come out on top? Handicapper, Krabs breaks down the game.
Krabs - May 12, 2023, 12:50 PM EDT
4 minutesWashinton Nationals vs. New York Mets Prediction: Can the Nationals Win at Home?
The Mets are severely underperforming. After adding Justin Verlander in the offseason, the expectations for this team couldn’t have been higher. The secondary team from New York currently sits two games under .500 as we close out the first quarter of the MLB season. Traveling to DC to face a division rival, will the Mets turn it around on this road stand?
Nationals vs. Mets Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: Friday, May 12, 2023
- Time: 7:05 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets Prediction
Along with Verlander starting the season on the IL and Scherzer getting suspended for cheating, the Mets have issues both offensively and with their expensive pitching staff. The Mets have the 23rd-worst ERA in baseball. Their elite closer got hurt in the World Baseball Classic, and the Mets bullpen has been taxed early on this season.
Offensively, the Mets rank near the bottom of every important statistical category. They are bottom-10 in batting average, hits, and runs this year. If the Mets don’t figure it out soon, their chances of catching the Braves atop the NL East will vanish. It won’t get any easier this weekend as the Mets face the overperforming Nationals on the road.
MacKenzie Gore is coming off his two worst starts of the season. The crazy part is, he only allowed six runs through ten innings in those starts. If that's Gore’s worst, this kid is going to be special as he continues to develop. The young lefty has already overperformed all pre-season expectations, striking out 48 batters in only 37 innings pitched.
Gore dealt against the Mets already this season, giving up only four hits and one run in six innings of work. Gore’s curveball has been elite in 2023, with a 42% whiff rate. That same curveball struck out ten Mets hitters in Gore’s last start against them. This Mets team may have more pop against LHP, but their batting average and OBP are nearly identical against either left or right-handed pitching. Expect Gore to continue his impressive first season with the Nats as he shuts down the slumping Mets for the second time this season.
Tylor Megill throws hard, but that doesn’t mean the converted reliever is good. Megill hasn’t recorded a win in over a month, and the Moneyline for the Mets tonight has moved ten cents toward the Nationals (-130 to -120). With less than 42% of bets and handles backing the Nats, Washington is clearly the sharp side in this contest. If you took the names off the front and back of these teams’ jerseys, the Nationals would probably be the favorite considering they’ve played significantly better this month. Washington’s young core continues to impress, winning eleven of their previous nineteen games. Back the Nationals at plus money to stay hot and defeat the underperforming Mets who may find themselves at the bottom of the NL East if they don’t turn it around soon.
Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets Pick
Pick: Washington Nations Moneyline +110 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
