Nationals vs. Mets prediction and odds for Thursday, July 27 (Washington is a live underdog)
Max Scherzer takes the mound against his former club after a shaky season with the Mets, can he find a second half ryhthm?
By Reed Wallach
The Nationals rebuild started with moving Max Scherzer to the Los Angeles Dodgers, can the team hand its former star pitcher a loss on Thursday?
As part of the rebuild from several moves from the Scherzer deal and others, the Nationals are equipped with an exciting young core which will be on display in the series opener in D.C. with starter MacKenzie Gore set to start against Scherzer.
Here are the odds for Thursday's matchup:
Nationals vs. Mets odds, run line and total
Nationals vs. Mets prediction and pick
The Nationals record is grim, but the team is a potent offense, sixth in batting average this season that strikes out at the lowest rate in the big leagues. With Scherzer's declining control, his walk rate is up and his velocity down.
Meanwhile, Gore has had some blowup starts, but has promising metrics moving forward with a high strikeout rate (nearly 11 per nine innings) and will face a Mets lineup that struggles against lefties. New York is hitting only .231 against southpaws and are 25th in OPS against southpaws.
Scherzer continues to be priced as the All-Star pitcher he once was, but this Mets team has floundered all season, I'll take a shot on the road underdogs.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.