The Washington Nationals (9-14) are on the road to face the New York Mets (14-11) at Citi Field on Thursday with the visitors eyeing a sweep of the three-game series. The Nationals lead the series 2-0 after winning 4-1 on Wednesday.
MacKenzie Gore went six innings to get the win, giving up one run on four hits and striking out 10, and Kyle Finnegan picked up his fifth save with a scoreless ninth. CJ Abrams was 2 for 4 with one RBI in the win. Eduardo Escobar went 1 for 2 with a triple and one run for the Mets.
ON THE MOUND
Trevor Williams (1-1, 3.38 ERA) is slated to take the mound for Washington. The RHP allowed two runs over six innings in his last start, a 3-2 road win over the Twins on Friday. He yielded four hits while striking out four and walking one in the no-decision.
LHP Joey Lucchesi (1-0, 0.00 ERA) is on the mound for New York. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Nationals. In his last start on Friday, Lucchesi got the win on the road against the Giants. He threw seven scoreless innings and gave up four hits, striking out nine and walking two in the 7-0 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Washington has averaged 4.6 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 3.7. Against lefties like Lucchesi this season, the Nats have a .753 OPS. Victor Robles is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a 1.203 OPS in 19 at-bats.
New York is averaging only 3.2 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.5 for the season, with their slash line dropping across the board (.234/.272/.316).
The Mets have a .702 OPS against righties in 2023. With a .927 OPS over 52 at-bats, Brandon Nimmo has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 7-5 on the road in 2023, scoring 4.5 runs per game while allowing 3.2 runs. New York has gone 4-4 at Citi Field this season, averaging 3.6 runs per game while surrendering 3.4. In the last 10 games at Citi Field between the NL East rivals, New York is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 4.6-3.0.
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, three games behind the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
NY Mets (-250)
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.
