MLB Betting: The New York Mets visit the Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon in what should be a good pitcher’s duel. Red-hot rookie Jacob deGrom is expected to get the call for the Mets while the Nationals send the underrated Jordan Zimmermann. Both pitchers come into this contest with excellent earned run averages as deGrom has an ERA of 2.77 while Zimmermann’s ERA is 3.00. Let’s take a closer look at the matchup and free MLB picks.
Probable Pitchers – deGrom vs. Zimmermann
The Mets Jacob deGrom comes into this game at 6-5 with a very nice ERA of 2.77. He has been outstanding of late with a 1.53 ERA in his last eight starts. He has allowed just nine earned runs in his last 53.1 innings. In his last three starts he is 3-0 with a 1.31 ERA.
Jordan Zimmermann continues to be the most consistent starter for the Nationals. Stephen Strasburg has the higher profile but Zimmermann is much more consistent. He is 7-5 on the season with a 3.00 ERA. He pitched seven shut out innings last time out against the Phillies.
Nationals Series Success
The Nationals have owned the Mets of late as before the first game of this series the Nats had taken 9 of the last 10. The last time the teams had a series in Washington it was the Nationals winning two of three back in mid-May. Five of the last seven in Washington have gone over the total but this matchup does look like it should be low scoring.
Game Notes
The Nationals are thought to have the best roster of players in the NL East but they still haven’t pulled away from the Atlanta Braves. And in the National League there is no margin for error as it could be that the loser between the Nats and Braves in the race for the division title will miss the playoffs.
Free MLB Picks
The Mets and Nationals have struggled at times to score runs this season and this pitching matchup on Thursday is a really good one so we’ll look for this game to go under the MLB betting total.
