The Mets move even closer to their goal. After briefly losing its grasp on the third National League Wild Card slot, New York got its act together to make its playoff push. After an exciting victory on Friday night, the Mets look to make it two in a row against the Washington Nationals and whittle down their magic number.
The Mets come in as heavy -261 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 8.5 runs. Let’s dig into a preview, prediction and best bet for this Nationals vs. Mets matchup.
Nationals at Mets prediction, preview
With their 12-6 win on Friday night, the Mets stayed two games ahead of the field with only eight games left to play. Taking care of games against the Nationals will go a long way toward clinching their playoff spot. Of course, it helps when you have Juan Soto hitting in the middle of the lineup.
They turned to rookie Brandon Sproat on Friday when they needed a win. Now they’ll turn to another rookie, Nolan McLean, on Saturday. And he’s been nothing short of jaw-dropping to begin his MLB career. New York’s No. 3 prospect has turned in a 1.19 ERA over his first six starts, showcasing veteran-like composure to go with his impressive arsenal of pitches. Most importantly, the Mets have won five of his six starts at a time where they desperately needed wins.
His counterpart, Cade Cavalli, is also just getting established. After making one start in the majors during the 2022 season, he missed two whole seasons due to an arm injury. Now he’s back and making an inspired return, throwing some absolute gas.
But Cavalli’s work will be cut out for him against a scorching-hot Mets offense. As they near the end of their playoff push, they’ve been carving up plenty of pitchers. I expect no different in this contest.
