New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals Odds & Pick: September 30th 2009

New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals
Free MLB Pick: Washington Nationals (-120 odds)
Wed September 30th 2009 4:35p
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Washington has won the first two games of this series and the only thing it can do now if finish strong and hope to carry that over into 2010. The Nationals have won five of the last seven meetings in this series and this is the final home game of the season for them. It has been a season to forget but they will no doubt be up and ready to win the final game at Nationals Park in 2009. The Mets are in the midst of a horrific run as they are 5-16 over their last 21 games including a 3-9 record on the road where they are 22 games under .500 on the season. This will be the final start of the season for John Lannan and he has had a very solid year for Washington even though his record tells otherwise. Playing for a bad team will cut down on the wins but it has not affected him as he continues to pitch strong right up until the very end. He has allowed only four earned runs in his last three outings, his last two being quality starts and one of those came against New York at Citi Field. At home this season, Lannan has a 2.62 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 17 starts with Washington going 7-9 in those games. The National has 32 home wins so his starts have accounted for over 20 percent of those victories. He has faced the Mets three times at home over the last two seasons and he has been nearly untouchable as he has a 0.36 ERA and 0.72 WHIP covering 25 innings and all of those games resulted in Washington victories. He faced Tim Redding who has been up and down this season but has been pretty solid of late. He has a 5.29 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 16 starts and 13 relief appearances. New York just cannot win in games he is involved in as it is just 8-21 in those 29 games including 6-10 in his starts. He has been great against Washington this season but his last start at Nationals Park was way back in May when the Mets were still playing for something. The Mets are 3-14 in their last 17 road games against a left-handed starter while the Nationals are 8-3 in their last 11 home games against a team with a losing record. They are also 5-2 in their last seven games as a home favorite and this is a very good price with one of the better pitchers on the mound tonight. 3* Washington Nationals