New York Mets vs Washington Nationals Prediction & Match Preview - April 7th | MLB Season 2022

The New York Mets and Washington Nationals face each other to start the 2022 regular season this Thursday at Nationals Park. MLB Opening Day 2022 is almost here. Let's dive into one of the matchups to open the regular season.

The New York Mets and Washington Nationals are two teams with different outlooks on the upcoming season. The Mets are reloaded with one of the highest payrolls in baseball and are looking to be contenders this season.

The Washington Nationals are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode after losing several key players from a season ago. We'll examine the predicted batting lineups, see who the starting pitchers will be, note the location and time of the game, and much more in this Opening Day preview.

Match Details

Fixture: New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals | MLB Regular Season 2022

Date & Time: Thursday, April 7, 4:05 p.m. EST.

Venue: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.

New York Mets Team Preview

The New York Mets begin the 2022 regular season with major expectations of not only getting back to the playoffs but winning it all in 2022. This is in large part due to the offseason acquisition of All-Star Max Scherzer. Other offseason additions include outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha, who are both expected to play key roles this upcoming season.

Jacob deGrom, one of the game's best starting pitchers, is expected to miss some significant time at the start of the 2022 season after feeling soreness in his right shoulder.

New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom will miss Opening Day after imaging showed a stress reaction in his right scapula, sources tell ESPN. While the timetable for deGrom's return is unclear, he's expected to miss a significant amount of time to start 2022. Story soon at ESPN.

"New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom will miss Opening Day after imaging showed a stress reaction in his right scapula, sources tell ESPN." - @ Jeff Passan

While the exact timetable is still unclear, the star pitcher is expected to be out several weeks, according to reports.

New York Mets Key Player- Francisco Lindor

Francisco Lindor will be the key player for the New York Mets for this upcoming Opening Day game. Lindor had a disappointing 2021 season and is looking to rebound and become his 2019 version, where he hit 30 plus homers and batted .284 at the shortstop position.

Lindor's Spring Training went fairly well for the star shortstop. He batted .294 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 34 at-bats.

New York Mets Predicted Lineup

While the current lineup has a lot of potential, Mets fans have seen inconsistent production over the past several years. Fans are hoping with the additions brought to the team, the offense will kick back into gear.

The New York Mets Opening Day predicted lineup can be seen below.

Brandon Nimmo, CF
Starling Marte, RF
Francisco Lindor, SS
Pete Alonso, 1B
Eduardo Escobar, 3B
Robinson Cano, DH
Mark Canha, LF
Jeff McNeil, 2B
Tomas Nido, C

Washington Nationals Team Preview

The Washington Nationals enter the 2022 season coming off a disappointing 2021. A mix of close losses and injuries ultimately kept the team out of the playoffs. The Nationals have been fairly quiet this offseason and will look to build the team around star outfielder Juan Soto and pitcher Stephen Strausburg.

The team will likely be without pitcher Stephen Strasburg for the first part of the 2022 regular season. Strasburg is coming off an injury that sidelined him all of last season and now continues into part of the 2022 season. Without Strasburg on Opening Day, the Nationals will look to their number two starter, Patrick Corbin, to take the mound this Thursday afternoon.

Key Player: Juan Soto

The key player to watch for the Washington Nationals is superstar Juan Soto. Soto is among the game's top hitters and is only 23 years of age.

LOOK at Juan Soto's 👀 tracking this *100.9 mph* fastball and lifting it for a home run

!!! https://t.co/mZS0unawR2

"LOOK at Juan Soto's tracking this 100.9 mph fastball and lifting it for a homerun!!" - @ Sarah Langs

Look for the potential MVP candidate to be a major factor in this one.

Washington Nationals Predicted Lineup

One notable Nationals signing was Nelson Cruz. Cruz is a veteran player who will provide the needed guidance and leadership for the young Washington Nationals roster.

The projected starting lineup for the Nationals can be seen below.

Cesar Hernandez, 2B
Juan Soto, LF
Nelson Cruz, DH
Josh Bell, 1B
Lane Thomas, RF
Keibert Ruiz, C
Alcides Escobar, SS
Maikel Franco, 3B
Victor Robles, CF

Mets vs. Nationals Match Prediction

This matchup is very intriguing in terms of the Mets matching up against Nationals starter Patrick Corbin. Pete Alonso and Starling Marte should have great matchups against the left-hander Corbin. This will be a competitive game, especially since neither Max Scherzer nor Jacob deGrom are taking the mound, but the better roster will end up on top. Final score: Mets 5, Nationals 2.

Where to watch Mets vs. Nationals

The game can be seen on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, Sportsnet New York, and MLB.tv.