Mets vs Nationals MLB Betting + Handicapping Picks
The National League East was supposed to be the Philadelphia Phillies division once again this year, but in the middle of the July the Phillies sit in last place in the division.
New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals MLB Betting Preview
Starting Pitchers: New York (Young) vs. Washington (Zimmerman)
Date/Time: July 18, 7:05 p.m. EST
MLB Gambling Odds from BetOnline
Moneyline: Washington (-152) New York (+142)
Runline: Nationals -1.5 (+140) Mets +1.5 (-160)
Total: 8
Both the Mets and the Nationals are fighting for the NL East lead. This series means a whole lot more than most expected it would before the season started.
Let’s take a look at this key divisional matchup.
The New York Mets are trying to keep pace in the NL East, but the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves are starting to pull away.
New York wasn’t expected to contend this year, but they have gotten timely hitting from a number of players in order to stay in the hunt.
David Wright is having an MVP type season for the Mets.
Wright is hitting .345 with 11 homers and 59 RBI’s. The Mets offense is 27th in the majors in home runs, but their productivity with runners in scoring position has helped them average 4.57 runs per game.
Chris Young gave up 5 runs in just 3 innings last time he pitched. He needs to get back on track in this contest. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Baseball has had plenty of surprise teams so far this year, and the Washington Nationals are one of the biggest. The Nationals finished last year at 80-81, which was 21.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.
In 2012, the Nationals have been in control of the NL East from the beginning all the way up to right now. Ian Desmond is having a breakout season at shortstop for the Nationals.
Desmond has 17 home runs and 52 RBI’s this season. Bryce Harper may be ticking off some managers, but his play shows he is ready for the big leagues. The primary reason the Nationals are atop the NL East is their brilliant pitching staff. Washington leads the majors with a 3.16 ERA.
Jordan Zimmerman is one of the most underrated pitchers in the game today. He has a brilliant 2.48 ERA in 2012.
The under is 6-0-1 in the Nationals last 7 games. I think both pitchers will be solid in this game.
MLB Free Pick: Under 8
