Mets-Nationals NL East showdown features two starters who have been hit hard by opposing lineups

The weekend was filled with what Major League Baseball was referring to as "rivalry weekend." To start this week, they paired up divisional matchups for almost every team in baseball. These games feel more like the real rivalries, and they probably have more meaning for most teams. The Mets and the Nationals take each other on in a National League East battle.

The New York Mets are one of the disappointments of the first quarter of the season. They come into today's contest with a 21-28 record for the year, and it isn't just a losing record on the road that is causing issues. The team doesn't have a ton of terrible stats, but they are struggling to hit consistently. As a team they are batting .232, which is 24th in the league. They are also at just 202 runs for the season, putting them at 22nd in the league.

The pitching staff has been surprisingly good. As a team, they have a 3.91 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. The ERA ranks at 11th in the league, and the WHIP sits at 15th. If the hitting comes around, which it should given their hitters, the Mets should be fine. Hoping for some run support is David Peterson, who makes the start for the Mets today. He is 2-4 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. On the road, Peterson has been a bit better, but his numbers still look ugly with a 4.50 road ERA. His past three road starts haven't been long, but he has allowed just two earned runs over 12.2 innings. Peterson has been hit hard by the Nationals in the past, going 27-for-97. However, only three of those hits went for extra bases.

The Washington Nationals are one of the bigger surprises of the first quarter of the season. They are 25-25 before the opening pitch of this one. They are just 10-15 at home, though. This was still expected to be a bit of a rebuild year for the club. However, the Nationals have found some success with a variety of their young talent. They even recently called up Dylan Crews, who is expected to be one of the mainstays in their lineup for years.

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The Nationals don't have a ton of great pitching they can rely on, unfortunately. Their starting pitcher for tonight's contest is Cade Cavalli, who owns a 2-2 record with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. He has been slightly better at home, going 1-1 with a 3.75 home ERA. He has only allowed four or more earned runs in one of his 10 outings, but only three of his starts have seen him complete at least six innings. The Mets have hit Cavalli well in the past, going 10-for-23 against him.

I have a couple of considerations for player props, and I think I will play both of these even if they aren't for full units. Juan Soto has gone 4-for-5 against Cavalli with two extra base hits. Soto getting 2+ total bases at +131 is worth a play. CJ Abrams has done poorly against Peterson, going 4-for-22. He does make decent contact against him, so this isn't a great opportunity, but under 0.5 hits at +147 is a solid look.

I'm taking the over in this game. The total is at just 7.5 runs, and both offenses have shown success against the opposing starter. Both teams have had hot bats lately as well, and I don't expect that to slow down here. Give me the over 7.5. I also like the Nationals to win this game, but that's more of a lean than anything.

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