Opening day did not go as planned for the reigning NL East champion Washington Nationals as they lost at home to the New York Mets. The World Series favorites must now regroup for Game 2 of their three-game set, where they take on one of the Mets’ rising stars, reigning NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom. Read on below for our preview of this NL East tilt.
Make Wednesday a winning day with some top MLB action. Check out our preview of the interleague showdown of the Red Sox vs. Phillies.
[sc:MLBArticles ]New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals Preview
Where: Nationals Park, Washington DC
When: Wednesday, April 8, 7:05 PM ET
Line: New York Mets (+133) at Washington Nationals (-143); total 6.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the New York Mets
The New York Mets got their season off to a good start by beating the division champion Nats, 3-1. Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud each went 2-for-4 and brought home all three runs, which were more than enough for the Mets pitching staff. 41-year old Bartolo Colon delivered six innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts, while the bullpen was perfect in sealing the last nine outs.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Mets star third baseman David Wright and second baseman Daniel Murphy, two of the team’s top three hitters last season, combined to go 0-for-8 against former AL Cy Young Max Scherzer. But they’ll see a more favorable matchup tonight with Jordan Zimmerman. The two are a combined 28-of-92 (.304) lifetime against the Nats righty, with five homers and 12 RBIs.
The two will look to supply reigning NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom with a little run support. The 26-year old went 9-6 with a 2.69 ERA in his award-winning season last year. deGrom also looked locked in during spring training, going 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA in six spring starts.
However, he did have some lingering issues away from home last season. He had a 3.64 ERA and issued 26 walks outside of Citi Field compared to a 1.70 ERA and 17 walks at home.
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Betting on the Washington Nationals
Bryce Harper looked ready to play for opening day; unfortunately, he was just about the only Nat who was. Aside from Harper, who had two hits and knocked in the team’s only run, the rest of the team recorded just one hit in their home opener.
This current Nats lineup is far from its most optimal, with center fielder Denard Span, third baseman Anthony Rendon, and right fielder Jayson Werth, all still out due to injury. There’s still some pop left with Harper and Ian Desmond (24 HRs and 91 RBIs in 2014), who owns a home run and three RBI against deGrom. But there are a few more easy outs in that lineup that could make it tough to score runs.
Luckily, Jordan Zimmerman knows how to keep things close against the Mets. Zimmerman faced the Mets four times last season and went 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA. The Nats won all four games, which isn’t surprising when Zimmerman’s on the mound. The Nats have gone 11-1 in the last 12 games Zimmerman has started, with the only loss coming in their 2-1 loss to the Giants in the playoffs.
Writer’s Prediction
The Nats (-143) win again with Zimmerman on the mound as he outduels deGrom in a 4-1 Washington win.
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