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<p>The New York Mets and Washington Nationals started competing against each other during the 2005 Major League Baseball season. The Nationals franchise actually dates back to 1969 when the team was the Montreal Expos, and they have long been rivals of the New York Mets. The Mets were the class of the National League East when the Nationals were established, but Washington has been much better than New York in recent seasons.</p>
<p>Both the Mets and Nationals have had two of the most dominant pitching staffs in baseball during this decade, and they have had some fierce battles on the diamond. New York and Washington D.C. are relatively close in proximity, and that has also helped to fuel this growing rivalry. It is almost impossible to make predictions for any rivalry, but you can usually expect terrific games between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals.</p>
<h2>History of Mets vs. Nationals Rivalry</h2>
<p>While the New York Mets and Montreal Expos began playing games in 1969, the current version of this great rivalry was kicked off in 2005. The Washington Nationals and New York Mets met for the first time in April 22, 2005, with the Mets coming away with a 3-1 victory. The Mets won 11 of the 19 games against the Nationals during that season, but things haven’t always gone in the Mets’ favor.</p>
<p>Washington leads the all-time series by a count of 138-121, but the Mets were the better team in 2018. Surprisingly, these two franchises have never met in the Major League Baseball playoffs. Washington and New York combined to win four straight National League East division titles from 2014-17, and they will both be favorites to compete again in 2019.</p>
<p>The New York Mets were one of the first expansion teams to come into the National League, joining the league in 1962. After posting a 40-120 record during the 1962 season, things slowly started to get better for the Mets until they reached their peak in 1969. The “Miracle Mets” shocked Major League Baseball and the rest of the world with a World Series Championship that season.</p>
<p>In 1986, the New York Mets were able to defeat the Boston Red Sox in stunning fashion to capture their second, and last, World Series title. Things haven’t gone well for the Mets in recent seasons despite them having one of the best young starting rotations in baseball history. With a big payroll and a large contingent of fans, the Mets will no doubt get back to winning championships in the upcoming seasons.</p>
<p>The Nationals began playing baseball in Washington during the 2005 season after Major League Baseball was looking for a new home for the Montreal Expos franchise. The Expos had been playing baseball in Montreal since 1969 but were losing money and were without a stadium. The Nationals got off to a very slow start in D.C., but after selecting Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg in the draft they quickly became relevant. The Nationals have won four National League East Division titles since the 2012 season and look poised to win a few more in the next decade. Baseball appears to be alive and well in our nation’s capital.</p>
<h3>Head to Head Comparison of New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals</h3>
<p>There really isn’t any comparison when it comes to postseason success between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals. The Mets have won just two World Series titles (1969, 1986), but that is still two more than either the Nationals or Expos have won. Washington also has yet to win a National League pennant, while the Mets have pulled off the feat a total of five times, with the latest one coming during the 2015 season. The Nationals/Expos have won five division titles in franchise history, which is just one less than the New York Mets. Washington still has a long ways to go if they want to catch up with the Mets in terms of postseason success, and they are going to have to go through New York to get the job done.</p>
<h4>Quick Look at Results of Last 20 Games Between Mets vs. Nationals</h4>
<p>It is always hard to make a prediction on rivalry games, but looking at the past seasons and trends can be beneficial. The Washington Nationals have been better than the New York Mets in the all-time series standings, but that hasn’t been the case in the last 20 games. New York and Washington played a total of 19 games against each other during the 2018 season, and their final meeting of the 2017 season took place on September 24.</p>
<p>The Mets posted an 11-9 record against the Nationals in the last 20 games, but they did a majority of their work on the road in the nation’s capital. New York won six of the nine games played at Nationals Park in D.C., including a three-game sweep to kick off the 2018 regular season. The Nationals did win six of the 11 games played against the Mets in New York, but that is about all they can brag about from the 2018 season. This doesn’t guarantee that the Mets will win a majority of the games against the Nationals in 2019, but that is the current trend.</p>
<p>While winning is obviously the ultimate goal in any sport, there is much more to look at in terms of sports betting. The first thing to take a look at is the combined number of runs for each game in relation to the over/under betting. The New York Mets and Washington Nationals combined to go “over” and “under” the total number of runs ten times each during the last 20 games. It is hard to make a prediction on the combined total of runs, and the past 20 games don’t show any significant trends.</p>
<p>The Washington Nationals have actually been the betting favorites in 15 of the last 20 games, but they haven’t been the best pick. The Nationals have gone just 5-10 against the spread as favorites, but they have had better success as an underdog. In the five games that the Mets have been the favorite, the Nationals have managed to cover the spread with the points in three of those games. Odds are that these trends will continue into at least the beginning of the 2019 regular season, and the Mets look like the right pick in almost every situation.</p>
