The Washington Nationals entered their home series with the New York Mets a mere 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot in a top-heavy National League and will look to continue the troubles of the Mets on Tuesday.
New York Mets (-142, 9) vs. Washington Nationals
David Peterson gets the start on the mound for the Mets, which is just his second start overall this season and his first road start. Peterson had a solid first start with two runs allowed in five innings against the Dodgers but last season, Peterson posted a 2.79 ERA at home with fewer than 0.8 home runs per nine innings allowed compared to a 7.47 ERA on the regular and with nearly 1.9 home runs per nine innings allowed.
Even if this split for Peterson is straightened out, the bullpen of the Mets has become shaky with an ERA of 5.48 in the past 30 days — the worst of any National League team in that span.
Additionally, the Mets’ closer spot is in question with closer Edwin Diaz on the injured list and reliever Jorge Lopez getting designated for assignment after some interesting post-game comments last week for a team that is in the midst of a league-high eight blown saves.
The Nationals bullpen entered the series ranked 10th in ERA in the past 30 days and their 3.76 ERA overall this season ranks 15th as they look to starting pitcher DJ Herz to put them in a good spot.
For all of the Mets’ deficiencies this season, they entered this series with 5.2 runs per game on the road compared to just 3.5 runs per game at home, the lowest mark in the National League.
With the Mets entering Monday having allowed 31 total runs in the eighth inning or later, the Nationals will get a win at home on Tuesday.
The Play: Nationals +120
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