MLB Free Pick | Mets at Nationals

 

New York and Washington will close out their weekend series on Sunday with the Mets Taijuan Walker taking on the Nationals Patrick Corbin. 

The two NL East rivals have only played three times thus far after having their season-opening series postponed. The Mets are 2-1 in the season series and will look to add to that this weekend.

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Game: New York Mets  (35-26, 29-32 ATS) at Washington Nationals (30-35, 28-37 ATS)

When: 1:05 PM ET, Sunday, June 20, 2021

Where: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.

America’s Bookie Current Line: OFF         Total: OFF

TV Coverage: MLB.TV

Cy Young Candidate?

Walker gets the start for the Mets and he has been outstanding this season. The right-hander is 6-2 with a 2.12 ERA. Walker’s ERA is tied for seventh in MLB and his WHIP of 1.00 is tied for 15th.

In his last two starts, Walker has gone seven innings each and given up just five hits against Baltimore and the Cubs. He allowed one run against the Orioles and two in the game with Chicago. The Mets won both games easily.

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Corbin, on the other hand, had a rough start to the 2021 season. He lost his first three decisions and was carrying a 10.47 ERA into May. The month of May was a little better for Corbin as he went 3-1 with a 4.29 ERA.

Thus far in June, Corbin is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA. He won his last start after going 8.1 innings, allowing just one run, and striking out seven. That outing was against a very weak Pittsburgh team that is last in the majors in runs per game. Even so, Corbin is now 4-5 with a 5.60 ERA.

This will actually be a rematch between Walker and Corbin who faced each other on April 25. Walker pitched seven innings, gave up three hits, and no runs in a 4-0 shutout victory for the Mets. Corbin lasted four innings and gave up all four runs.

That game is the perfect example of what will happen on Sunday when the two teams meet again. Walker has been tough to hit against all season. He ranks third in the majors - behind his teammate Jacob deGrom and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta - in hits allowed this season with 44.

Unfortunately, our Braves at Mets free pick was postponed a few weeks ago, but see what was supposed to happen.

Mets at Nationals Free Pick

The other key in betting Sunday’s game is the Mets offense. It’s no secret that New York’s pitching staff is carrying the team in 2021. The Mets are second in team ERA (3.10) and that is the big reason why they are in first place in the NL East.

The offense is a different story. It’s almost hard to believe the Mets are as good as they are since they only average 3.82 runs per game. That ranks 28th in MLB. Only Pittsburgh and their opponent on Sunday, Washington, are worse.

With Corbin improving as the season moves on, the Mets lack of offense, and Walker’s outstanding pitching; one play makes sense on Sunday. The Under. Friday’s matchup opened with a total of 9. Look for something similar and don’t be afraid to play it down to 7.5.

Mets at Nationals Free Pick:  UNDER down to 7.5

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