Mets, Nats start huge series in Gotham
The Nationals remain four games ahead of the Mets in the National League East standings. Objects in the rear-view mirror, however, are closer than they appear.
New York tries to stay hot in tonight’s series opener vs. Dusty Baker’s squad, with a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch at Citi Field. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI favor the host club, whereas Washington represents a -101 underdog. The over/under run total rests at 8.5.
One week ago, the Nats were in the process of polishing off a sweep of their division rivals. Yet the Mets have responded by reeling off victories in six of the last seven contests, including yesterday’s 4-2 verdict over Miami. Rather than sulk about the latest bit of bad news concerning Matt Harvey, Terry Collins’ troops used timely hitting and a vintage Jacob deGrom outing to pull through.
This evening, Collins hands the ball to Bartolo Colon. The oldest player in the sport still has plenty left in the tank, as evidenced by that 7-4 record and 2.87 ERA. He’s 4-6 with a 3.15 ERA in 11 lifetime showings against the Nationals/Expos.
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Baker, meanwhile, turns to an individual who’s liable to get carded at any fine establishment around the nation’s capital. Twenty-one-year-old Lucas Giolito, the seventh-youngest man in the bigs, makes his second career start. His June 28 debut vs. New York encompassed just four innings on account of rain.
The sexy option is to bank on a genuine coming-out party from Giolito. Given the rate at which the Mets continue to rake, though, the phenom may find the Big Apple quite unaccommodating. Count on New York to keep rolling as the All-Star break beckons.
THURSDAY MLB FREE PICK: NATIONALS/METS OVER 8.5 RUNS
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