After being 11 games under .500 on May 29, the Mets have completely turned their season around, setting an MLB record of 61-35 during that time.

On Tuesday night, they beat Washington 10-1 and improved their season series record to 9-2.

They also got some help from the Reds, who overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Braves 6-5.

The Mets now have a two-game lead over Atlanta and are facing off for the last wildcard spot in the NL.

It will be crucial for them to get as big a lead as possible, as they still have to play against the Braves, Phillies and Brewers to end the season.

For this reason, they will have to settle for nothing less than a sweep of the Nationals in the series finale on Wednesday.

Odds for Nationals vs. Mets

Nationals Outlook

DJ Herz is hoping for his third consecutive win when he takes the hill for the Nationals.

The 23-year-old rookie left-hander has a record of 4-7 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP this year.

Although Herz can be a mainstay in the Nationals’ rotation in the coming years, the team wants to be careful not to put too much pressure on him.

In his last three appearances he has thrown exactly 87 throws each and in his 17 starts he has only reached the 100 mark once.

Herz is not the type of pitcher who can necessarily overwhelm hitters.

His fastball has a speed of about 93.6 mph, yet he has an above-average K/9 ratio of 10.98.

Left-handed pitchers, with their unique arm angles, often have enough deception to be effective even without an electrifying fastball.

The problem for Herz is that he will be facing a Mets lineup that tends to do better against left-handed hitters.

New York has a .259 batting average with a .329 on-base percentage and a .429 slugging average against lefties, versus a .243/.317/.405 slash line against righties.

Mets Outlook

The Mets will counter with a left-hander of their own, as José Quintana gets the nod.

Quintana has been in top form recently, winning his last three starts.

Looking at his last four starts, he has allowed just one earned run in 25 innings.

In his two appearances against Washington this season, he did not allow a single run through 14 innings.

His numbers aren’t exactly impressive, as he’s not a strikeout pitcher. He has a K/9 ratio of 6.91 and can be prone to walks on occasion (3.34 BB/9).

His greatest strength, however, is that he takes the opposing hitters into account when selecting his shots.

Quintana throws four pitches: sinker (29.5%), curveball (27.8%), fastball (23%) and changeup (19.7%), and keeps hitters guessing with his balanced approach.

Washington’s mileage is below average when competing on the pitches of Quintana’s Arsenal.

That might explain why the Nationals have had so little success against him this season.

Nationals vs. Mets tip

It feels like there is something magical about this Mets team this season.

They recently called up Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña.

The Mets rookie infielder is off to a flying start with five hits in eleven at-bats.

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On Tuesday, he hit his first home run with a swing that was very reminiscent of his brother’s power shot.

Acuña will step in as shortstop for Francisco Lindor, who is still out due to a back injury.

At a time when Lindor’s absence could have ruined the Mets’ chances of a postseason berth, they were still able to extend their lead in the wild-card round.

New York goes into the final of this series with full momentum and has a clear advantage in the pitchers’ duel.

Since the Mets are favorites on the moneyline at -170, the run line with odds of +130 is our best option.

Best Bet: Mets Run Line (+130, DraftKings)

Why you can bet on the New York Post

Michael Arinze handicaps most major sports for the New York Post. In his betting career, he has won two 15-leg teasers and a 12-leg parlay that covered eight games of the Little League World Series. More recently, he has accurately picked the finalists for the 2024 Euros and the Copa America.