DAVE COKIN
NATIONALS (Gonzalez) @ METS (Syndergaard)
Free play Take: METS
The sad saga of the 2015 Washington Nationals is about to reach its conclusion. There’s little need to dwell any more on the failures of this favorite, as that has all been covered. But there’s at least one more chance to bet against this turmoil laden franchise, and I would think tonight qualifies on that count.
Gio Gonzalez is capable of being very good at times for the Nats. Perhaps he’ll have one of those games tonight. But even if that’s the case, there’s no guarantee it will be enough to catapult Washington to a win over the Mets.
The Nationals are not hitting a lick and it seems pretty clear they just want this whole thing to end. The Nats haven’t been any good on the road all season and their away issues continued in a series loss to the lowly Braves over the last few nights. Washington did manage to salvage the set’s finale last night as red hot Stephen Strasburg threw another gem.
Gonzalez will likely have be just as dominant tonight for the Nats to have a decent chance at winning. With the offense already in hibernation for the winter, Noah Syndergaard appears to have an excellent chance to rack up another stellar showing at home. Also, the Mets have a good chance to nail down home field advantage for the upcoming playoff series against the Dodgers. Should the two teams finish with identical records following Game #162, the Mets own the tie-breaker.
Incentive is with the Mets, the starting pitcher advantage is with the Mets and even if the Mets are mildly cruising till the actual playoffs start they’re still owners of a commanding mental edge over the screwed up Nationals. I’ve got no problem spotting the price tonight with the Mets.