The Washington Nationals (45-87) are on the road to face the New York Mets (85-48) at Citi Field on Saturday. The Mets took Friday’s series opener 7-3, their 11th head-to-head victory in 14 games this season. Reliever Mychal Givens was credited with the win after throwing 1.2 scoreless innings. Eduardo Escobar went 1 for 2 with a home run and three RBIs in the win. Jeff McNeil went 3 for 4 with a double and two runs. Ildemaro Vargas was 2 for 4 with two doubles and one RBI for the Nationals. Alex Call added one RBI on one hit.
ON THE MOUND
Patrick Corbin (5-17, 6.56 ERA) is set to get the start for Washington. The left-hander allowed two runs (one earned) over six innings in his last start, a 3-2 home win over the Reds on Sunday. He got the win, yielding four hits while striking out five and walking one. Over four previous starts against the Mets this season, Corbin has allowed 13 earned runs over 17.2 innings (0-3, 6.62). He has struck out 19 and walked nine. RHP Max Scherzer (9-4, 2.27 ERA) gets the ball for New York. He has made two appearances against the Nationals this season, both as the starter, giving up six runs (5 ER) over 12.2 innings (2-0, 3.55) with 11 strikeouts and three walks. In his last start on Sunday, Scherzer took the loss at home against the Rockies. He threw seven innings and gave up one run on four hits, striking out 11 and walking one in the 1-0 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Washington has averaged 4.8 runs a game, up from their season average of 3.8, while slashing better across the board (.269/.316/.434). Against righties like Scherzer this season, the Nats have a .690 OPS. Keibert Ruiz is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .675 OPS in 284 at-bats. New York is averaging only 3.4 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.7 for the season, with their slash line slipping across the board (.239/.289/.400). The Mets have a .701 OPS against left-handers in 2022. With a .888 OPS over 135 at-bats, Starling Marte has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 23-40 away from Nationals Park in 2022, scoring 3.7 runs per game while allowing 5.5 runs. New York has won three in a row at their home ballpark. The Mets are 46-21 at home this season, averaging 4.7 runs per game while surrendering 3.2. In the last 10 games at Citi Field between the NL East rivals, New York is 9-1 with an average scoreline of 6.7-2.9.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Mets lead the NL East by three games over the Braves. The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 39 games behind the Mets.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
New York Mets (-450)
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.
