Free MLB Picks Today: New York Mets vs Washington Nationals 4/25/23

The Washington Nationals (7-14) take one of the lowest-scoring offenses in MLB on the road to face the New York Mets (14-9) at Citi Field on Tuesday to open a three-game series.

The Nationals are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They won two out of three in their last series against the Twins, dropping the finale 3-1 on Sunday at Target Field. Keibert Ruiz was 1 for 4 with a double and one RBI.

The Mets are playing the first of seven games at home after returning from a successful 10-game road trip (7-3). They split their last series against the Giants, dropping the finale 5-4 on Sunday at Oracle Park. Francisco Alvarez went 1 for 4 with a solo home run.

The teams are meeting for the first time this season. The Mets dominated the 2022 season series between the NL East rivals (14-5), including a sweep in their most recent three-game set at Citi Field in October.

ON THE MOUND

Josiah Gray (0-4, 4.32 ERA) is in line to get the start for Washington. The righty allowed one run over five innings in his last start, a 1-0 road defeat against the Orioles on April 18. He took the loss, scattering four hits while striking out three and walking four.Over two starts against the Mets in 2022, Gray was 0-2 with a 10.00 ERA over nine innings. He had seven strikeouts and six walks.

AT THE PLATE

The Washington offense is averaging 3.6 runs per game for the season, fifth lowest in MLB, with a slash line of .248/.314/.339. Victor Robles leads the team in OPS at .742. The right fielder is slashing .290/.371/.371 with five RBIs and eight runs over 20 games.

New York is slashing .242/.339/.393 for the season and averaging 4.9 runs per game. Pete Alonso leads the team with a .958 OPS. The second baseman has 10 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 18 runs scored with a slash line of .267/.347/.611.

The Mets have a .732 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .932 OPS over 49 at-bats, Brandon Nimmo has been their best hitter against right-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

Washington is 5-5 on the road in 2023, scoring 4.5 runs per game while allowing 3.7 runs. New York has gone 4-2 at home this season, averaging 4.7 runs per game while surrendering 3.0. New York is 8-2 in the last 10 games between the teams at Citi Field with an average scoreline of 6.7-3.0.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, six games behind the division-leading Braves. The Mets are second in the NL East, zero games behind the Braves.