Although the MLB playoffs don't start for another two weeks, the Mets are already in postseason mode. They have to treat every game like it's win-or-go-home as they cling onto one of the final two NL wild-card spots. The Mets enter Wednesday two games ahead of the Braves.
Here's my Nationals vs Mets parlay for Wednesday, September 18, which features picks for Jose Quintana, Tyrone Taylor and more.
Nationals vs Mets Parlay Picks, Odds for Wednesday
- Mets ML (-175)
- Tyrone Taylor Over 2+ Total Bases (+155)
- Jose Quintana Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-105)
Parlay Odds: +550 (FanDuel)
Remember to bet responsibly — this is a long shot for a reason.
Nationals at Mets Odds
| Nationals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -155 | 7 -120o / 100u | +142 |
| Mets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +130 | 7 -120o / 100u | -170 |
Mets ML (-175)
With concerns of Francisco Lindor’s injury, GM David Stearns, manager Carlos Mendoza and home run leader Pete Alonso held a closed door meeting.
I’m guessing the conversation revolved around Alonso carrying the load to the playoffs with Lindor hampered.
So, how did the soon-to-be free agent to respond? With three hits and a homer in a dominant Mets win.
Alonso boasts a dazzling 1.073 OPS with two homers in his past seven games. It's huge for an offense that didn’t show up the past few games, and he led the Mets to a 10-run performance last night.
That was a desperately-needed boost for an offensive that scored three runs in two of their three games last week. They lost three consecutive games before beating the Nationals on Tuesday, largely due to offensive woes.
If they start scoring again, then the Nationals' pitching staff could be in for a rude awakening.
Meanwhile, the Mets will send Jose Quintana to the hill against a team that doesn't hit southpaws well.
Previously, Quintana is someone I’d look to fade, given his 4.67 FIP compared to a 3.91 ERA. However, he's pitched masterfully of late, allowing just two runs across 24 1/3 innings in his past four starts.
He'll have another favorable matchup awaiting against the Nationals, who own an 88 wRC+ in September. Only three Nationals hitters have a wRC+ above 100 in that span, Juan Yepez, Keibert Ruiz and James Wood (who's worse against left-handers).
And quite frankly, the motivation factor is worth mentioning here. I don't always think motivation should matter when deciding which team to bet on, but the Mets simply have more to play for than the Nationals, who are long gone from the playoff race.
The Mets currently sit two games ahead of the Braves for the third and final NL wild card spot, so I'll gladly grab them at -175 here.
Tyrone Taylor Over 2+ Total Bases (+155)
I’m rolling with a part-time player for my Mets hitter prop here.
With a lefty — DJ Herz — on the mound, Jesse Winker will likely sit and Tyrone Taylor will have a clear spot in the lineup.
Taylor has gone over two-plus total bases in four of his past five starts and is hitting over .375 with an OPS over 1.110 in the past week.
He's gone from a player Mets fans loathed seeing in the lineup to a guy everyone wants to see regularly.
While Taylor is more known for his ability to hit left-handed pitching, that hasn't been the case this year. Surprisingly, Taylor is hitting just .223 against lefties compared to .254 against righties, with just two of his seven homers coming against left-handers.
The Mets needed someone to step up with Lindor dealing with a nagging injury and Jeff McNeil being done for the year. And guess what? Taylor is turning into that guy.
At +155, Taylor is a pretty strong value here, especially considering he's hit on two-plus total bases frequently.
Jose Quintana Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-105)
I wanted to find a way to involve Quintana in this SGP beyond backing him in the Mets result.
In full transparency, I think the Mets can crush the Nationals whether Quintana pitches like he has been or if he allows five runs. He’s not what dictates their success.
But the path to Quintana pitching well likely centers around generating ground balls more than anything else.
The veteran southpaw has turned into an innings eater at this point in his career. He ranks 74th out of 81 qualified pitchers with 120+ innings with a 6.9 K/9. He's one of the premier ground-ballers in the sport, and him striking out five batters could prove difficult.
Also helping matters: Washington isn't prone to striking out. It ranks seventh in the MLB with a 21.1% K rate this month.
In the first two games against the Mets, Washington punched out four times against Tylor Megill and six times against Sean Manaea.
Both of those guys are more strikeout-oriented pitchers than Quintana, so I think the Nationals will be able to keep the ball on the ground and keep his strikeout numbers in check.
