Washington Nationals At New York Mets MLB Free Picks

Every team in the league comes out of the starting gate looking to build up a big lead in their division, but the problem with actually doing it is that you can start to get a little too comfortable at the top. How many times in recent years have we seen teams cruise to the top of their division in the first half, opening up a big lead in the process, only to have everything fall apart in the second half of the season? The Washington Nationals are cruising at the top of the NL East with a 9.5 game lead, but they are not playing particularly good ball of late. The only thing that is keeping the lead at such a large number is that none of the other teams in the division seem able to put together any sort of meaningful run. The Nationals will come into this weekend with a chance to increase their lead, as they have a series coming up against the Mets, who are currently in 2nd, in NYC. Find out more about the updated MLB betting run lines here.

MLB Betting Odds For Washington Nationals At New York Mets

When: Thursday, June 15 at 7:10 PM EST Where: Citi Field, New York Starting Pitchers: Gio Gonzalez Vs Steven Matz TV: MLBN Radio: WADO 1280, WFAN 600  Live Stream: MLB.tv MLB Odds: TBA    

Why bet on the Washington Nationals

When compared to the rest of the season, the month of June has not been particularly impressive for the Washington Nationals (39-25). They are just 6-6 through the first 13 days of the month, and have only 1 win in their last 5 games. They were swept by the Rangers before heading to Atlanta, where they have split the opening 2 games of that series. The Nationals have been rather poor defensively during this stretch. They managed 20 runs in the opening 2 games versus the Braves, but still managed to lose one of those, going down 11-10 in the opener. Washington are 4-2 versus the Mets this season, and actually swept them when they last met in New York. Gio Gonzalez (5-1, 2.91 ERA) will start for the Nats.

Why bet on the New York Mets

It has been a rough couple of months for the Mets (29-34), and every time it has looked as though they are about to break out, something negative quickly comes along. The Mets were on a stretch where they had won 4 games in a row, playing great defense and only giving up a total of 4 runs in those outings. It looked as though they may be putting themselves in a position to perhaps launch an assault on the Nationals atop the division, but they then went out and got shelled 14-3 by the Cubs. They still have a chance to win that series, but this has proven to be a fragile bunch this year, and you wonder what sort of effect that loss will have on them. Steven Matz (1-0, 1,29 ERA) was brilliant in his first start of the season.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

This looks like being a great pitching match-up, and I expect runs to be at a premium here. I think it will be the Nationals who edge this one out, but only just.

Washington Nationals 3 New York Mets 2