Mets vs. Nationals: Game 1, prediction, odds, injuries and picks

The National League West-leading New York Mets travel to the Capital to face off against the Washington Nationals for a three-game series. The Metropolitans are fresh off a sweep against division and postseason foe Philadelphia Phillies as the team has now won seven-straight games.

New York's road assignment in D.C. will test the team's win streak that started against the Cards on April 17. Since then, the squad swept both the Cards and the Phillies with relative ease.

As for the Nationals, the team is currently looking to build off of their Beltway Series win against the Orioles. The squad has just dropped two of their last six games and has looked decent on both sides of the ball in spite of the limited firepower.

Mets vs Nationals recent form and records

The Metropolitans currently hold an 18-7 record — the best record in all of the majors and a firm grip of the NL East lead. New York seems to have found its stride to start their latest campaign, powered by one of the best pitching crews in MLB. The team's pitching staff leads MLB in ERA at a minuscule 2.34 and has allowed only 69 runs so far for a run difference of +36.

On the other hand, the Nationals have finally crawled out of the NL East's basement with their series win against the Orioles. They hold an 11-14 record and is 7-5 at home.

Players to watch

Starting pitchers

NYM: Kodai Senga (3-1, 0.79 ERA), WSH: Jake Irvin (2-0, 3.68 ERA)

New York Mets

To open the series against the Nationals, the Metropolitans are deploying ace Kodai Senga. The former NPB star has been clinical to start the 2025 season. Senga owns a 3-1 record across four starts with a 0.79 ERA. Although not known for his strikeouts, the hurler is within the 86th percentile in barrel percentage among all qualified pitchers.

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Must-Watch Hitters

Washington Nationals

James Wood has been a revelation for the Nationals this year. The 22-year-old is tied with Tommy Edman, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Mike Trout for the second-most home runs hit this season. The right fielder is batting .247/.352/.559 with an OPS of .911 with 18 RBIs.

Mets vs Nationals baseball betting odds

Friday, 4/25	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
NYM	-175	-1.5, -109	O 8.5, -133
WSH	+156	+1.5, -111	U 8.5, +110

Mets vs Nationals expert picks and game prediction

Although inferior on paper, the Nationals have fared well against powerhouse teams this year. Despite their dismal record, the squad clinched series victories against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers. Expect a close contest between the NL East counterparts.

Run Line: +1.5, -111

Total Runs: U 8.5, +110

Prediction: NYM wins, 4-3

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago