It is an NL East battle on Saturday as the New York Mets visit the Washington Nationals. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Mets-Nationals prediction and pick.

The New York Mets come into the series at 18-7 on the year. That places the Mets in first place in the NL East. They have been playing great as of late, winning seven straight games. That includes a Mets sweep of the Phillies. Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals enter Thursday at 11-13 on the year, tied for third in the NL East. They have won the first two games of the series against the Baltimore Orioles. The Nationals and Orioles will face on Thursday in the final game of the series.

Mets-Nationals Projected Starters

Kodai Senga vs. Jake Irvin

Kodai Senga (3-1) with a 0.79 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.

Last Start: Senga went 5.2 innings in his last start, giving up three hits and two walks. He would not give up a run as he took the win over the Cardinals.

Away Splits: Senga is 1-1 on the road with a 1.50 ERA and a .163 opponent batting average.

Jake Irvin (2-0) with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP.

Last Start: Irvin went 6.1 innings, giving up three hits and two home runs. He would strike out nine batters and give up two runs, taking the win over the Rockies.

Home Splits: Irvin is 0-0 at home this year with a 5.63 ERA and a .286 opponent batting average.

Here are the Mets-Nationals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Mets-Nationals Odds

New York Mets: -1.5 (-115)

Moneyline: -186

Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-104)

Moneyline: +156

Over: 9 (-110)

Under: 9 (-110)

How to Watch Mets vs. Nationals

Time: 6:45 PM ET/ 3:45 PM PT

TV: SNY/MASN

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*

Why The Mets Will Cover The Spread/Win

Pete Alonso has led the way for the Mets this year. He is hitting .341 with a .440 OBP. He has 11 doubles, a triple, six home runs, 26 RBIs, and 15 runs scored this year. Meanwhile, Francisco Lindor is also having a great year. He is hitting .309 with a .364 OBP. Lindor has four doubles, five home runs, 14 RBIs, two stolen bases, and 18 runs scored. Also scoring plenty of runs is Juan Soto. He has scored 17 times this year while hitting .233 with a .364 OBP. Soto also has five doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, and two stolen bases.

Also being productive, but not hitting well, is Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo is hitting just .196 this year with a .250 OBP. Nimmo also has three doubles, four home runs, ten RBIs, and eight runs scored. Meanwhile, Luisangel Acuna has been solid as well. He is hitting .283 with a .356 OBP. He has five doubles, an RBI, six stolen bases, and 11 runs scored.

Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win

Nathaniel Lowe has led the way for the Nationals this year. He is hitting .291 with a .365 OBP. Lowe has five doubles, four home runs, 19 RBIs, and seven runs scored. Also having a stellar year is James Wood. Wood is hitting .256 with a .356 OBP. He has five doubles, eight home runs, 18 RBIs, three stolen bases, and 17 runs scored.  Keibert Ruiz leads the team in hitting this year. He is hitting .325 with a .372 OBP. He has four doubles, two home runs, 13 RBIs, and ten runs scored.

Also scoring runs, but not hitting well, is Josh Bell. Bell is hitting just .141 with a .256 OBP. He has scored ten times though, while also having four home runs and 11 RBIs. Dylan Crews has scored 13 times this year. He is hitting just .195 but with a .225 OBP. He has a double, three home runs, five RBIs, and six stolen bases as well.

Final Mets-Nationals Prediction & Pick

Kodai Senga has been great this year. He has given up just four runs, with two of them being earned this season. That all came in the first game of the season. Since then, Senga has pitched 17.2 innings of scoreless baseball. Further, Senga has pitched well against current members of the Nationals. The current members of the Nationals are just 2-15 against Senga. Josh Bell has both hits, going 2-5 with a home run, an RBI, and a walk.

Meanwhile, Jake Irvin has been solid, but not great. He has three starts this year, giving up two runs or fewer, but also has two starts giving up four runs. Both of those games were at home as well. The current Mets have 55 career at-bats against Irvin. They are 11-55 with two doubles, two home runs, and eight RBIs. Francisco Lindor has been great against Irvin. He is 5-10 with a double, a home run, and four RBIs. Further, Brandon Nimmo is 3-12 with a home run and four RBIs. The Mets have hit better than the Nationals this year, and have the better pitcher on the mound. They get the win in this game.

Final Mets-Nationals Prediction & Pick: Mets ML (-186)