Mets vs Nationals Odds & Picks: New York The Chalk As Scherzer Takes The Mound

The Washington Nationals host the New York Mets at Nationals Park on Friday as they meet for the second of a three-game set. The Mets took the season opener and continued their recent run of success against the Nationals. Will New York pick up its first series win of the season? Find out in our Mets vs Nationals prediction.

Mets vs Nationals Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Sportsbook Odds

The Mets come into this matchup as the road favorites at -133 on the moneyline, with the Nationals going off at +110 as the underdog. The total is set at 9.5 runs with the UNDER going 9-4 in Washington’s last 13 games played in April. New York has historically had success against Washington with nine wins over the last 12 meetings – a clear nod to the visitors for your Mets vs Nationals prediction.

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Starting Pitchers

Josiah Gray, who was acquired from the Dodgers as part of the Max Scherzer deal last season, will take the mound for the Nationals. The 24-year-old appeared in 14 games last season for the Dodgers and Nats, finishing with a 5.48 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP over 70.2 innings of work.

The aforementioned Scherzer was signed by the Mets this offseason and will pitch against his former team for the first time since the blockbuster trade. The right-hander made 30 starts last season, posting a record of 15-4 to go along with a 2.46 ERA and 0.86 WHIP over 179.1 innings.

Megill Throws Five Scoreless Innings As Mets Win Season Opener

The Mets got off to a strong start in their season opener as they earned a 5-1 win over the Nationals. Newly acquired Mark Canha and Starling Marte drove in a run each while starter Tylor Megill threw five scoreless innings, striking out eight while giving up just three hits.

Megill got the ball on Sportsbook Day as two-time Cy Young Sportsbook Jacob deGrom (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list. Meanwhile, Brandon Nimmo (neck) is doubtful for Friday’s game.

Nationals Lose Again On Sportsbook Day

The Nationals fell to 2-7 over their last nine games on Sportsbook Day with the loss as they mustered just one run, a solo shot from Juan Soto in the sixth inning. Starter Patrick Corbin was saddled with the loss after giving up two runs and five hits over four innings of work.

Washington’s ace, Stephen Strasburg, was unable to pitch as he continues to recover from thoracic outlet surgery. Reliever Will Harris (pectoral) went on the 60-day injured list while infielder Ehire Adrianza (calf) is on the 10-day injured list.

Mets vs Nationals Pick & Insights

Mets: Keys To Victory

Scherzer will be the talk of the town as he’s poised to make his Mets debut. The three-time Cy Young Sportsbook was excellent last season and will look to bring that momentum forward to a rejuvenated Mets team. If Scherzer does what we expect, New York should pick up another win.

Nationals: Keys To Victory

After mustering just one run and six hits in the first game of the series, the Nationals will obviously need to pick up the offense. That’s easier said than done when you’re coming up against Scherzer, but the Nats have enough firepower to get to the right-hander. Soto and Josh Bell both had great campaigns in 2021 and could ignite Washington’s offense on Friday.

Odds Shark’s Computer Mets vs Nationals Prediction: Mets -185