The New York Mets (14-10) host the Washington Nationals (8-14) at Citi Field on Wednesday. The Nationals took Tuesday’s series opener 5-0. Josiah Gray threw six scoreless innings – striking out nine – to get the win, and Mason Thompson pitched three scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season.
Keibert Ruiz was 3 for 4 with a solo home run in the win. Alex Call added one run on two hits. Brandon Nimmo went 1 for 3 for the Mets.
ON THE MOUND
MacKenzie Gore (2-1, 3.43 ERA) is in line to get the start for Washington. The lefty allowed three runs over six innings in his last start, a 4-0 road defeat against the Orioles on April 19. He was charged with the loss, yielding three hits while striking out seven and walking four.
RHP Kodai Senga (3-0, 4.29 ERA) will toe the rubber for New York. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Nationals. In his last start on Thursday, Senga got the win on the road against the Giants. He threw five innings and gave up four runs on five hits, striking out four and walking four in the 9-4 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Washington has averaged 3.8 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 3.7. Against right-handed pitchers like Senga this season, the Nats have a .620 OPS, third lowest in MLB.
Ruiz is the team’s best performer against right-handers with a .856 OPS in 52 at-bats. New York is averaging 4.8 runs per game in the last five, up slightly from 4.7 for the season. The Mets have a .730 OPS against lefties in 2023. With a 1.295 OPS over 30 at-bats, Pete Alonso has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 6-5 on the road in 2023, scoring 4.5 runs per game while allowing 3.4 runs. New York has gone 4-3 at home this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 3.3. New York is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings at Citi Field with an average scoreline of 5.8-3.1.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, seven games behind the division-leading Braves. The Mets are second in the NL East, two games behind the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
NY Mets (-210)
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.
