The New York Mets (19-21) are on the road to face the Washington Nationals (16-23) at Nationals Park on Sunday. The Mets lead the series 1-0 after winning 3-2 on Friday, their second head-to-head victory in four games this season.
Starter Tylor Megill went five innings, giving up two runs (1 ER) on four hits, to get the win, and Drew Smith threw 0.1 scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season.
Michael Perez was 1 for 1 with a double for the Mets. Daniel Vogelbach also went 1 for 1. Joey Meneses went 1 for 1 with one RBI for the Nationals.
ON THE MOUND
Max Scherzer (2-2, 5.56 ERA) is slated to get the start for New York. The right-hander allowed six runs over 3.1 innings in his last start, an 8-1 road defeat against the Tigers on May 3. He took the loss, giving up eight hits while striking out three and walking one.
Scherzer is making his first appearance against the Nationals this season. Over three starts against the Nationals in 2022, Scherzer was 2-0 with a 3.06 ERA over 17.2 innings. He had 16 strikeouts and four walks.
Right-hander Jake Irvin (1-0, 0.84 ERA) gets the ball for Washington. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Mets. In his last start on Monday, Irvin got the win on the road against the Giants. He threw 6.1 scoreless innings and gave up four hits, striking out five and walking three in the 5-1 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, New York has averaged only 2.2 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.0, partially thanks to weaker slugging (.367 vs .381). Against right-handed pitchers like Irvin this season, the Mets have a .700 OPS.
Brandon Nimmo is the team’s best performer against right-handers with a .861 OPS in 89 at-bats. Washington is averaging 4.0 runs per game in the last five, up slightly from 3.9 for the season.
The Nats have a .639 OPS against right-handers in 2023, second lowest in the league. With a .745 OPS over 111 at-bats, Meneses has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
New York is 12-13 in road games in 2023, scoring 4.0 runs per game while allowing 4.3 runs. Washington has gone 6-14 at home this season, averaging 2.8 runs per game while surrendering 4.8. In the last 10 games at Nationals Park between the NL East rivals, New York is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 4.5-3.3.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Mets are third in the NL East, six games behind the division-leading Braves. The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, eight games behind the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
NY Mets (-200)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
