Mets vs. Nationals: Picks, predictions, how to watch Tuesday’s game

The New York Mets and Washington Nationals square off on Tuesday with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Nationals Park in Washington, DC and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Jacob deGrom (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will start for the Mets with Cory Abbott (0-0, 2.25 ERA) on the hill for the Nationals.

New York (65-37) will go for its eighth consecutive victory on Tuesday night in what should be an exciting day for the franchise. deGrom will make his 2022 season debut after spending the first few months on the injured list, and he has not pitched in a game since July 7, 2021. The Mets rank No. 4 in runs per game (4.7), and Pete Alonso ranks second in the league with 86 RBIs.

Washington (35-69) has the worst record in the MLB and will look to avoid a three-game losing streak following last night’s loss in Game 1 of this series. Abbott made three relief appearances this season and allowed one run over four innings of work in 2022. The Nationals rank No. 27 in runs per game (3.8), and Josh Bell is the team’s top RBI leader with 57 to go along with a .301 batting average.

Mets vs. Nationals

Pitchers: Jacob deGrom vs. Cory Abbott
First pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
Mets local broadcast: SNY
Nationals local broadcast: MASN
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Mets -1.5 (-180)
Run total: 8.5
Moneyline odds: Mets -305, Nationals +255

Moneyline pick: Nationals +255

I could not imagine a scenario in which I’d feel comfortable betting on a team whose pitcher hasn’t appeared in an MLB game for more than a year as -305 favorites. The Nationals are the value play in this spot as they get ready to play the matchup game with a number of pitchers likely to take the mound. Washington ranks in the middle of the pack in on-base percentage (.314) and batting average (.245), and it is worth the risk in this spot.

Player prop pick: Jacob deGrom Under 6.5 strikeouts (-130)

For the same reasons listed above, I’m not going all in on a big performance for DeGrom in his first game back. There will certainly be some sort of a pitch count the Mets would prefer he did not exceed, and who knows how effective he will be. For all of its problems, Washington is not a team that strikes out very much with just 7.2 K’s per game, which is the second-fewest in the MLB.

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