Nationals-Mets Pointers

If familiarity breeds contempt, there should be animosity aplenty on Thursday when the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets meet at Shea Stadium.

The Nationals will give the ball to starter John Lannan in this one. Lefthander Lannan is 0-2 this season with a 6.75 ERA.

It'll be Nelson Figueroa toeing the rubber for the Mets in this contest. Righthander Figueroa is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA so far this season.

NewBodog oddsmakers currently have the Mets listed as 165-moneyline favorites versus the Nationals, while the game's total has not yet been posted.

Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer to help the Mets blast their way to a 5-2 victory over the Nationals on Wednesday, as -190 favorites. The Mets won the game as -190 favorites, while the seven runs fell UNDER the posted over/under (8.5).

Ryan Church and Jose Reyes hit solo home runs for the other Mets scores. John Maine allowed two runs off five hits over 6 2-3 innings and Billy Wagner closed out the ninth for his second save.

Austin Kearns belted a solo home run for the Nationals, who were +170 underdogs. Matt Chico fell to 0-3 with the loss, giving up five runs off seven hits in five innings of work.

Current streak:
Washington has lost 2 straight games.
New York has won 2 straight games.

Team records:
Washington: 4-11 SU
New York: 7-6 SU

Washington most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Florida are 5-5
After playing NY Mets are 4-6
After a loss are 1-9

New York most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Philadelphia are 2-8
After playing Washington are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

A few trends to consider:
Washington is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
NY Mets are 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
NY Mets are 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
NY Mets are 6-12 SU in its last 18 games at home

Next up:
Washington at Florida, Friday, April 18
NY Mets at Philadelphia, Friday, April 18

Stevie Vincent is the founder of the ground-breaking betting science of forensic handicapping and the former Executive Editor of the Freescoreboard Tailgate Party. His BetOnSports360 sports betting plays are available exclusively at OffshoreInsiders.com