The New York Mets will begin a four-game series with the Washington Nationals on Monday at Nationals Park. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make a Mets-Nationals prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.

Mets-Nationals Projected Starters 

David Peterson vs. Mackenzie Gore

David Peterson (3-0) with a 3.67 ERA

Last Start: Peterson labored in his last outing, going 4 1/3 innings while allowing one earned run and three hits, striking out eight and walking eight in a no-decision against the New York Yankees.

2024 Road Splits: Peterson has done better on the road, going 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA over two starts away from home.

Mackenzie Gore (6-7) with a 3.81 ERA

Last Start: Gore struggled in his last outing, going five innings while allowing five earned runs on five hits, striking out just one, and walking three in a loss to the San Diego Padres.

2024 Home Splits: Gore has done worse at home, going 4-4 with a 4.13 ERA over 10 starts at Nationals Park.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Mets-Nationals Odds

New York Mets: -1.5 (+155)

Moneyline: -108

Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-188)

Moneyline: -108

Over: 8.5 (+102)

Under: 8.5 (-124)

How to Watch Mets vs. Nationals

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

TV: SportsNet New York

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Mets Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Mets are hovering around the .500 mark and are staying competitive in the National League Wildcard race. Ultimately, they have been just behind the final wildcard spot. Part of this has been attributed to the offense.

The Mets are eighth in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, and 10th in runs. They are also fourth in home runs and eighth in slugging percentage.

Pete Alonso has been exceptional, batting .244 with 17 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 46 runs. Furthermore, that puts him on pace for 34 home runs, 92 RBIs, and 92 runs. Alonso is hitting .307 with 91 hits, 26 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 54 runs over 82 games against the Nationals in his career. Meanwhile, Francisco Lindor is batting .252 with 13 home runs, 40 RBIs, and 52 runs this season. Lindor is hitting .273 with 63 hits, 14 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 32 runs over 58 games against the Nats.

JD Martinez is doing well, batting .282 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs, and 21 runs. Additionally, he is hitting .333 with one home run, three RBIs, and five runs over 21 at-bats against the Nats. The Mets also have others with 10 or more home runs, including Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo.

The Mets are merely average on the mound. Yet, Peterson has done well enough and may do enough to handle a lineup that is not very strong. Peterson then will turn it over to an inconsistent bullpen.

The Mets will cover the spread if their bats can spring to life and pummel the baseball. Then, they need a good outing from Peterson.

Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Nationals have stayed alive in the playoff race. While they have not exploded and executed a great winning streak, they have done enough to stay alive. The Nats can attribute their inconsistency to their struggling offense.

The Nationals are just 19th in batting average, 22nd in on-base percentage, and 20th in runs. Likewise, they are only 29th in home runs and 24th in slugging percentage. The Nats have three players who need to do well.

Joey Meneses is one of the more consistent hitters in this lineup. Yet, he is hitting just .250 with 22 hits, one home run, 13 RBIs, and seven runs over 22 games against the Mets. CJ Abrams also is one of the solid hitters in the batting order. Significantly, he is batting just .257 with 19 hits, three home runs, 13 RBIs, and eight runs over 20 games against New York.

But the Nationals don't have another dangerous hitter. Ultimately, the only one who can possibly be a threat is Jesse Winker, who has been up and down. Winker is also batting .289 with 26 hits, two home runs, 16 RBIs, and 15 runs over 24 games against the Mets.

But the Nationals have done better because of their pitching. Overall, they are 13th in team ERA. But they have often done better to start games. However, the bullpen has been inconsistent, ranking 16th in team ERA.

The Nationals will cover the spread if Meneses and Abrams can get on base and drive runners home. Then, they need a good outing from Gore.

Final Mets-Nationals Prediction & Pick

The Mets swept the Nationals in D.C. in early June. Now, they hope to do it again. The Nationals are 48-34 against the spread this season. However, they are also just 20-16 against the spread at home. The Mets are 20-14 against the spread on the road. The Mets won two of three games by two or more runs. Then, they edged them out in one of them. We like Peterson and the Mets to cover the spread in this one.

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Final Mets-Nationals Prediction & Pick: New York Mets: -1.5 (+155)