The Washington Nationals (45-86) take one of the lightest-hitting lineups in the league on the road to face the New York Mets (84-48) at Citi Field on Friday to open a three-game series. The Nationals are embarking on a 10-game road trip after closing out a six-game homestand (3-3). They won two out of three in their last series against the Athletics, taking the finale 7-5 on Thursday at Nationals Park. Joey Meneses was 4 for 6 with a home run, two runs, and four RBIs. The Mets are kicking off the final series of their 10-game homestand. They won two of three against the Dodgers in their last series, taking the finale 5-3 on Thursday at Citi Field. Starling Marte went 2 for 3 with two runs and one RBI.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Mets have won 10 of 13 in the season series between the NL East rivals, including a 9-5 victory in their most recent meeting on August 3 at Nationals Park. Starter Chris Bassitt threw seven scoreless innings for the win.
ON THE MOUND
Josiah Gray (7-8, 4.67 ERA) is set to take the mound for Washington. The RHP allowed one run over five innings in his last start, a 2-1 home defeat against the Padres on August 20. He yielded four hits while striking out three and walking five in the no-decision. Gray has made one previous start against the Mets this season, a 7-3 home loss on April 8. He surrendered four runs on eight hits over four innings, striking out five and walking two. For New York, left-hander David Peterson (7-3, 3.21 ERA) will toe the rubber. He has made one prior start against the Nationals this season, giving up four runs over 4.2 innings in a 13-5 home win on May 30. He gave up six hits and walked four, while striking out one in the no-decision. In his last start on Saturday, Peterson got the win at home against the Rockies. He threw six scoreless innings and gave up four hits, striking out seven, in the 3-0 victory.
AT THE PLATE
The Washington offense is averaging 3.8 runs per game for the season, fifth lowest in the league, with a slash line of .247/.312/.376. Lane Thomas leads the team in OPS at .702. The center fielder is slashing .240/.293/.409 with 14 home runs, 42 RBIs, and 47 runs over 116 games. Against southpaws like Peterson this season, the Nats have a .683 OPS. Nelson Cruz is the team’s strongest performer against left-handers with a .764 OPS in 138 at-bats. New York is slashing .257/.328/.406 for the season and averaging 4.7 runs per game. Pete Alonso leads the team with a .853 OPS. The first baseman has 31 home runs, 105 RBIs, and 72 runs scored with a slash line of .269/.346/.506. New York is averaging only 2.6 runs per game in the last five with their slash line falling across the board (.219/.262/.348). The Mets have a .750 OPS against righties in 2022, fourth highest in MLB. With a .857 OPS over 375 at-bats, Alonso also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 23-39 in road games in 2022, scoring 3.8 runs per game while allowing 5.5 runs. New York has gone 45-21 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.7 runs per game while surrendering 3.2. In the last 10 meetings at Citi Field, New York is 9-1 with an average scoreline of 6.4-2.6.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Mets lead the NL East by three games over the Braves. The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 38 games behind the Mets.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
New York Mets (-275)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
