The Washington Nationals (55-104) are on the road to face the New York Mets (98-61) at Citi Field on Tuesday in a doubleheader. The Nationals just wrapped up a difficult 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 are coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of 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. The Nationals took Sunday’s series opener 7-1, their fifth head-to-head victory in 16 games this season. Starter Erick Fedde went six innings for the win, allowing one run on four hits. Vogelbach went 2 for 2 with a home run and two RBIs. McNeil went 3 for 5 with a solo home run.
ON THE MOUND
Paolo Espino (0-8, 4.17 ERA) is slated for the start for Washington in the first game of the doubleheader. The righty allowed four runs over five innings in his last start, an 8-2 home defeat against the Braves on September 27. He took the loss, yielding five hits while striking out five. Over three previous appearances against the Mets this season, Espino has allowed only one earned runs over 6.1 innings (0-0, 1.42). He has struck out four and walked two. Righty Carlos Carrasco (15-7, 3.79 ERA) will toe the rubber for New York. He has made four appearances against the Nationals this season, all as the starter, giving up eight runs (4 ER) over 20 innings (2-1, 1.80) with 17 strikeouts and seven walks. In his last start on September 27, 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
Over the last five games, Washington has averaged 4.0 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 3.8. Against right-handed pitchers like Carrasco this season, the Nats have a .695 OPS. Luke Voit is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .788 OPS in 344 at-bats. New York is averaging only 3.2 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.7 for the season, with their slash line falling across the board (.236/.281/.339). The Mets have a .750 OPS against right-handers in 2022, fourth highest in the league. With a .383 OBP over 446 at-bats, McNeil has their highest on-base percentage against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 29-49 away from Nationals Park in 2022, scoring 3.9 runs per game while allowing 5.2 runs. New York has gone 51-27 at home this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game while surrendering 3.4. New York is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings at Citi Field with an average scoreline of 5.7-3.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 44 games behind the division-leading Braves. The Mets are second in the NL East, one games behind the Braves. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting first with a magic number of zero.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
NY Mets (-275)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
