The Washington Nationals are coming off back-to-back wins against the New York Mets to move five games ahead of their division rival at the top of the NL East. They can complete the sweep of this three-game series Wednesday night, and I think we'll see the Nats dominate this contest from the very first pitch.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Mets hand the ball to Logan Verrett (3-4, 4.14 ERA) who was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas last week as the Mets have been hit hard with injuries. Verrett has surrendered a total of six runs on seven hits and five walks with four home runs in seven innings in his last three outings in the majors. The Nats counter with their ace Max Scherzer (8-5, 3.52) who is on fire and has recorded double digits for strikeouts in three straight outings and four of his last five.

2. Home Cookin' - The Nats are 8-1 in their past nine at home while the Mets have lost six of their last eight on the road. The home team is 9-4 in Alfonso Marquez's last 13 games behind home plate.

3. X-Factor - Bryce Harper entered this series on a 1-for-17 slump against the Mets but he's 4-for-7 with three RBIs in the last two games.

Selection: This is a play on the Washington Nationals -1.5 (8*)