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Sportsbook.ag Line: New York -106, Washington -104, Total: 7.5
The Mets will be going for a sweep over the Nationals when the teams meet in Washington on Wednesday.
New York was able to come away with an 8-7 victory in the second game of this series with Washington and the team has now won six of its past nine games. The Mets offense has manufactured eight runs in back-to-back contests and will be looking to stay hot heading into another very winnable meeting with Atlanta beginning on Friday.
The Nationals, meanwhile, had won five straight games before losing two in a row against the Mets. This team was hoping to be the one representing the NL East in the postseason, but it has really struggled this season and is going to need a miracle in order to sneak into the playoffs.
This game will feature a very intriguing matchup on the mound, as RHP Jacob deGrom (12-7, 2.40 ERA, 175 K) of the Mets will be facing RHP Stephen Strasburg (8-6, 4.35 ERA, 98 K) of the Nationals. New York will be looking to build on a 9-6 record against Washington on the season and should be feeling confident as the team is 14-2 against the money line after six consecutive games versus division rivals this season. Washington, however, is 43-21 against the money line in home games with an on base percentage of .360 or better over its past 15 games since 1997.
2B Daniel Murphy (Quad) is expected to be in the lineup for the Mets, but OF Michael Cuddyer (Wrist) is doubtful for this one. The Nationals, meanwhile, could be without 1B Ryan Zimmerman (Oblique) while he recovers from a minor injury.
The Mets are going for a sweep on Wednesday and they’ll be happy to have deGrom on the mound for them. The starter has allowed three or less runs in nine of the past 10 games and has double-digits in strikeouts in three of those contests. The last time he faced the Nationals, deGrom threw six innings of two-run ball and struck out eight batters. He is, however, worse on the road with a 3.25 ERA compared to the 1.57 ERA he has at home. He’ll need to settle his nerves and give his team a shot to win this one.
One of the biggest reasons this Mets team has become a force offensively is the acquisition of OF Yoenis Cespedes (.297, 31 HR, 95 RBI). Over the past seven games, the outfielder has five homers and 11 RBI. He has increased his batting average with the Mets from .282 to .307 in that time and hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down.
3B David Wright (.318, 3 HR, 7 RBI) has also been hitting well, racking up six multi-hit performances in the past 10 days. C Travis d’Arnaud (.287, 10 HR, 36 RBI) will need to snap out of his recent funk moving forward. He is 1-for-8 over the past three games and the Mets will need his production at the plate as they head into the final stretch.
Stephen Strasburg had made six starts in a row where he allowed just two or less earned runs until giving up four in just 4.0 innings of work against the Marlins on Aug. 30. The righty threw just 60 pitches in that outing, so he should be feeling rather fresh on Wednesday despite dealing with a minor back injury. In two starts against the Mets this season, Strasburg has allowed five earned runs in a total of 10.2 innings pitched. He gave up 15 hits in those games and will need to do a better job missing bats in this game.
It would be a huge loss for the Nationals if 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.249, 16 HR, 73 RBI) isn’t in the lineup. He has homered five times over the past 10 games, racking up 16 RBI in that time as well. He is also 3-for-8 with a homer and four RBI against deGrom in his career.
One guy that will be excited to face the Mets pitcher is SS Ian Desmond (.239, 17 HR, 51 RBI). Desmond is 4-for-13 with a homer and five RBI against deGrom. He is also hitting the ball a bit better as of late, going 6-for-13 with an RBI over the past four games. OF Bryce Harper (.333, 34 HR, 83 RBI) is 5-for-13 against deGrom, but he doesn’t have a single homer or RBI in the matchup. The Nationals will need him to drive in some runs on Wednesday.
