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Holmes and Lord face off in D.C. in Game 2 of this series! The Mets have been red-hot, while the Nationals have been inconsistent. This is a big series for both teams because the Nationals have had consistency issues all season. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Mets-Nationals prediction and pick.
Mets-Nationals Projected Starters
Clay Holmes vs. Brad Lord
Clay Holmes (2-1) with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP
Last Start: Allowed one run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts through six innings
Away Splits: (1-1) 2.51 ERA
Brad Lord (0-2) with a 4.73 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP
Last Start: Allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts through four innings
Home Splits: (0-0) 3.00 ERA
Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Mets-Nationals Odds
New York Mets: -1.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -180
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (+100)
Moneyline: +152
Over: 9.5 (-105)
Under: 9.5 (-115)
How to Watch Mets vs. Nationals
Time: 4:05 pm ET/1:05 pm PT
Article Continues Below
TV: SportsNet New York/MASN
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why The Mets Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Mets are committed to success and have a monster payroll, and that's after having an 89-73 record last season. They have started red-hot this season with a 16-7 record and have won seven straight, including the first game in this series. They were ranked 12th in batting average and 15th in team pitching ERA. They have been unimpressive behind the plate, but they have the best pitching staff in the MLB this season. Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo, Jesse Winker, and then the giant acquisition of Juan Soto make up a solid pitching rotation. Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill, David Peterson, Griffin Canning, and Clay Holmes make up a loaded pitching rotation. The Mets have a lot of talent and can extend their hot streak with a win in this game.
The Mets are starting Holmes on the mound. He has a 2-1 record, a 3.16 ERA, and a 1.36 WHIP. He has allowed 11 runs on 22 hits with 13 walks and 35 strikeouts across 25.2 innings through his five starts. He also has a K/BB ratio of 2.6. The Mets are also 4-1 in his starts and have won four straight after losing his first one. Holmes has been a solid pitcher for the Mets, and he should have a solid performance once again due to the Nationals not offering much on offense in their own right.
The Mets' offense was great last year and got even better heading into this season, but things have not been as impressive to start this season. Their team batting average was .246, 12th best in the league, but is now .234 to start the season, which is 18th in the MLB. Alonso has been dominant for the Mets behind the plate and is the best player on offense. Alonso leads in batting average at .341, in home runs with six, in RBI with 26, in OBP at .440, and in total hits with 31. This Mets offense has been solid, but not as consistent as a unit despite how well Alonso is playing.
Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Nationals struggled toward a 71-91 record last year, and this season are struggling to play consistent baseball with an 11-14 record. They have gone 3-2 in their previous five games. Their bats were okay at best last season and have been below average this season. The Nationals have struggled on the mound, and not much has changed from last season to this one because it's one of the worst pitching staffs in the league. CJ Abrams, Nathaniel Lowe, Keibert Ruiz, Luis Garcia Jr., James Wood, and Paul DeJong are solid in the batting rotation. MacKenzie Gore, Mitchell Parker, and Jake Irvin have been the three standout pitchers in D.C. this season. The Nationals will struggle with consistency this season, but if they can steal a win against the Mets, that would be massive.
The Nationals are starting Brad Lord on the mound, and he has a 0-2 record, a 4.73 ERA, and a 1.88 WHIP. He has allowed eight runs on 16 hits with nine walks and 10 strikeouts through 13.1 innings across his six appearances and three starts. He also has a K/BB ratio of 1.1. The Nationals are 2-4 in his six appearances on the mound. Lord has shown flashes of playing well, and he should have a good matchup against an unimpressive Mets offense, so that he might perform well.
The offense for the Nationals is below the middle of the pack in the MLB with a .232 batting average after finishing last season with a .243 average. Ruiz, Lowe, and Wood have stood out the most for the Nationals on offense this season. Ruiz leads in batting average with .321, OBP at .367, and total hits with 27. Then, Lowe leads in RBI with 19, and Wood leads in home runs with eight. This offense has genuine talent, but they get a bad matchup against Holmes, and how well he has played in this game.
Final Mets-Nationals Prediction & Pick
The Mets are better with a better pitcher and with Holmes. Lord has a good matchup against their offense, but this is about trust, and the Mets should win and cover to extend their win streak to eight.
Final Mets-Nationals Prediction & Pick: New York Mets -1.5 (-120)
