Thursday, May 19, 2016

Citi Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Stephen Strasburg vs. Matt Harvey

The Washington Nationals visit Citi Field on Thursday to play the New York Mets. The probable starters are Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals and Matt Harvey for the Mets. The opening line for this matchup has Washington at -110 and New York at +100. The over/under was set at 6.5. The Nationals have a 15-19-5 over/under record and a 19-20-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 49% of the time. The Mets are 17-21-0 against the run line and have a 17-20-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Nationals head into this matchup with a 23-16 record, including 11-9 on the road. Starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg has a 6-0 record with an earned run average of 2.95 and a WHIP of 1.07. He has 65 strikeouts over his 55 innings pitched and he has given up 44 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.56. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.84 and they have given up 90 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the bullpen while being struck out 112 times and walking 36 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 7.44 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.19 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 2.95. The Nationals pitchers have collectively given up 295 base hits and 117 earned runs. They have allowed 32 home runs this season and they allow 0.8 homers per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 114 batters and struck out 364. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.15 and their FIP as a unit is 3.31.

As a team, Washington is batting .240, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .241 average away from home. The Nationals hold a .402 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.1 hits per game. Bryce Harper comes into this game hitting .256 and his on-base percentage is at .444. He has 30 hits this season along with 24 runs scored and 29 runs batted in. He's struck out 32 times and has walked 41 times. Daniel Murphy is hitting .399 and he has an on-base percentage of .431. He has totaled 57 hits so far while scoring 22 runs and he's driven in 23. He has walked 8 times and has struck out 16 times. The Nationals have 316 hits, including 62 doubles and 47 home runs. They've stolen 19 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 8 times. Washington has walked 144 times this season and they've struck out 315 times as a unit. They've left 280 men on base and have a team OPS of .721. They score 4.13 runs per contest and have scored a total of 161 runs so far this year.

New York comes into this matchup with a 10-6 home record and a 22-16 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.93, Matt Harvey has a 3-5 record and a 1.53 WHIP. He has 41 strikeouts over the 45.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 57 hits. He has allowed 11.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.37. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.39 and they have given up 90 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the Mets bullpen while being struck out 123 times and walking 32 times this season. As a team, New York has allowed 8.67 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.91 batters per nine. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.01. The Mets pitchers as a team have surrendered 323 base knocks and 112 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 24 home runs this year and they give up 0.6 home runs per nine innings as a staff. New York as a staff has walked 80 hitters and struck out 332. They give up a walk 2.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.20 while their FIP as a staff is 2.82.

As a team, they are batting .238, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .222 average at home. The Mets hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317 which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 24th in baseball with 7.89 hits per contest. Asdrubal Cabrera comes into this matchup batting .273 and he has an OBP of .331. He has 38 hits this year along with 12 runs scored and 11 RBI. He's struck out 28 times and has walked on 6 occasions. Michael Conforto is hitting .283 and he has an OBP of .357. He has collected 36 hits so far while he's scored 18 runs and drove in 21. He has earned a walk 13 times and has punched out 32 times. The Mets as a unit have 300 base hits, including 64 doubles and 55 homers. They have 10 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 6 times. New York as a team has walked 130 times this year and they have struck out 328 times. They've had 265 men left on base and have an OPS of .744. They score 4.05 runs per game and have totaled 154 runs so far this season.

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 15-19-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 19-20-0 against the run line so far this season

New York Mets Betting Trends

The New York Mets are 17-20-1 against the over/under so far this season

The New York Mets are 17-21-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Washington Nationals

04/28/16 P Matt Belisle Calf 15-day DL (4/27)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

New York Mets

05/17/16 3B David Wright Back "?" Wednesday vs. Washington Nationals
05/17/16 1B Lucas Duda Back is not expected to be in the starting lineup Wednesday vs Washington Nationals
05/15/16 P Steven Matz Elbow "?" next start
05/12/16 SS Wilmer Flores Hamstring 15-day DL (5/11)
04/26/16 C Travis d'Arnaud Shoulder 15-day DL (4/25)
04/04/16 P Zack Wheeler Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Nationals

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