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

The New York Mets and Washington Nationals square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. The Mets will send Taijuan Walker to the mound, while rookie Joan Adon will get the start for the Nationals.

The Mets (21-11) hold the largest lead of any division leader (six games) even after last night’s defeat to their NL East rivals. The Mets got out to a quick 3-0 lead, but starter Tylor Megill had absolutely nothing and allowed eight runs while recording just four outs as the Mets lost 8-3. Second baseman Jeff McNeil is hitting .377 with a .431 on-base percentage in his past 16 games. Slugging first baseman Pete Alonso homered last night and now has four HRs, six extra-base hits and 10 RBIs in his previous eight games.

Is the Nationals’ offense ... good? Probably not, but you have to admit that the Nats (11-21) have been pretty hot at the plate of late. Through their first 21 games, Washington scored at least seven runs only twice. Through their past 11 games, they have scored at least seven runs six times. First baseman Josh Bell has slashed .378/.451/.578 during that prosperous stretch. Designated hitter Nelson Cruz has homered twice over his past few games, so maybe he is finally breaking out of his season-long slump.

Mets vs. Nationals

Pitchers: Taijuan Walker vs. Joan Adon
First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
Mets local broadcast: SNY
Nationals local broadcast: MASN
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Moneyline odds: NYM -155, WSH +135

Picks & predictions

Moneyline pick: NYM -155

The Mets should bounce back today; they haven’t lost back-to-back games in a month. Their offense leads MLB in hits and has room to improve. However, considering the pitching matchup, the better bet might be the over, which is set at nine runs (-105).

Player prop pick: Joan Adon UNDER 14.5 outs recorded (+135)

Adon has pitched five innings in only two of his six starts. He saw the Mets back on April 9 and left after getting 13 outs, allowing four runs with four walks. There is nothing that indicates that things will improve for him against this offense a second time around.

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