Five days after holding the Nationals scoreless for seven innings in a no-decisive game, Jose Quintana will face the Nationals again at Citi Field.
The performance was emblematic of what Quintana has been like for the Mets this season, as he threw 95 pitches and only induced seven strikeouts.
But even with a well-balanced arsenal of five pitches, his pitches remain difficult to predict.
Quintana enters Tuesday’s first of six straight home games with a 3-5 record and a 4.22 ERA, but he’s been steadily improving as the trade deadline approaches and the Mets are forced to walk a tightrope around a .500 winning percentage.
He has been a durable member of the Mets’ starting rotation, but he is also one of their most vulnerable to batted balls.
The 35-year-old veteran ranks in the bottom nine percent of expected weighted on-base percentage and has good exit velocity and launch angle.
Quintana is striking out 6.62 batters per nine innings, a number that has consistently declined since 2021.
The Nationals don’t have a very strong offense, but the team is in the top 10 for lowest strikeout rates, according to FanGraphs.
Quintana struck out one Nationals batter in his last start, but is 5-3 with the prop when the line is set at 3.5, but is 5-11-1 overall.
Play: Quintana strikes out under 3.5 (+120, DraftKings)
