The Washington Nationals (55-104) take one of the weakest lineups in the league on the road to face the New York Mets (98-61) at Citi Field on Monday for the first of a three-game series. The Nationals are heading on the road after a rough seven-game homestand (2-5). They won only one out of four in their last series against the Phillies, dropping the finale 8-1 on Sunday at Nationals Park. The Mets were just swept in three games against the Braves, dropping the finale 5-3 on Sunday at Truist Park. Daniel Vogelbach went 2 for 2 with a home run and two RBIs. Jeff McNeil went 3 for 5 with a solo home run.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Mets have won 11 of 16 in the season series between the NL East rivals, although they suffered a 7-1 defeat in their last meeting on September 4 at Citi Field. Erick Fedde went six innings to get the win, allowing one run on four hits.
ON THE MOUND
Cory Abbott (0-4, 5.11 ERA) is set to take the mound for Washington. The RHP allowed five runs (four earned) over five innings in his last start, an 8-0 home defeat against the Braves on September 26. He was charged with the loss, yielding three hits while striking out seven and walking three. Abbott has made one previous start against the Mets this season, a 7-1 road victory on September 4. He held New York scoreless over one no-hit inning, striking out one and walking one. Righty Carlos Carrasco (15-7, 3.79 ERA) gets the ball for New York. He has made four appearances against the Nationals this season, all starts, giving up eight runs (4 ER) over 20 innings (2-1, 1.80) with 17 strikeouts and seven walks. In his last start on Tuesday, Carrasco took the loss at home against the Marlins. He threw three innings and gave up four runs on six hits, striking out two and walking one in the 6-4 defeat. The RHP is tied for fifth in the NL in wins.
AT THE PLATE
The Washington offense is averaging 3.8 runs per game for the season, fifth lowest in MLB, with a slash line of .249/.311/.378. Lane Thomas leads the team in OPS at .715. The center fielder is slashing .244/.304/.411 with 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 62 runs over 143 games. Against righties like Carrasco this season, the Nats have a .695 OPS. Luke Voit is the team’s strongest hitter against right-handers with a .788 OPS in 344 at-bats. New York is slashing .258/.331/.409 for the season and averaging 4.7 runs per game. Pete Alonso leads the team with ann .865 OPS. The first baseman has 40 home runs, 131 RBIs, and 94 runs scored with a slash line of .269/.348/.517. New York is averaging only 3.2 runs per game in the last five with their slash line dropping across the board (.236/.281/.339). The Mets have a .750 OPS against right-handers in 2022, fourth highest in MLB. With a .874 OPS over 446 at-bats, Alonso also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 29-49 in road games in 2022, scoring 3.9 runs per game while allowing 5.2 runs. New York has gone 51-27 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game while surrendering 3.4. In the last 10 games at Citi Field between the teams, New York is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 5.7-3.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 45 games behind the division-leading Braves. The Mets are second in the NL East, two games behind the Braves. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting first with a magic number of zero.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
New York Mets (-300)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
