Mets and Phillies limp into weekend series
Mets and Phillies limp into weekend series
Though the two teams sit just a game apart in the NL East, this weekend's series between the Mets and Phillies just doesn't have that marquee matchup feeling. With their rosters depleted by injuries New York and Philadelphia now find the Marlins slipping between them and the Atlanta Braves hot on their heels. Both teams enter with slumping offenses that could come alive against some of the arms scheduled to pitch.
It goes without saying you should expect fireworks this weekend. Just don’t wait around for them to happen during the three-game series between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Judging by the way the two frontrunners in the National League East are playing right now, you’d be lucky to see a security flare make it out of the infield.
New York Mets (+120 series) at Philadelphia Phillies (-140 series)
The Phillies (39-37, -3.91 units) have one of the best offenses in the league, but not over a recent 10-game stretch during which they’ve dropped eight of 10 games against the moneyline. Philadelphia is fourth in baseball in runs per game (5.23), but is batting only .221 over its last 10 outings, including .199 against righthanded pitching.
That doesn’t bode well for Friday night’s Game 1 (7:05 PM ET) with the Mets (39-39, -1.66 units) sending righty Livan Hernandez (5-3, 4.04 ERA) to the mound. Hernandez has faced some hard luck over his last three starts, as New York has failed to cash despite his 3.00 ERA. If Hernandez continues to pitch well, it’ll be good news for the Mets, who are priced as +125 underdogs for the series opener. The Phils are on the baseball betting odds board as -145 chalk for Game 1, with the total listed at 10.
It’s not as if New York has been lighting it up at the plate, either, although it has been dealing with a bevy of injuries to many of its best players. The Mets are hitting only .230 over their last 10 games, down from their .273 team average (fourth in MLB) on the season. Carlos Beltran (bruised right knee), Jose Reyes (right hamstring tear), and Carlos Delgado (hip surgery) are all on the 15-day disabled list, leaving David Wright to fend for himself in the Big Apple.
Desperate for pitching, Philly hands the ball to Rodrigo Lopez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on Friday night. Lopez last took the hill on a major league mound back in 2007, when he went 5-4 with a 4.42 ERA for the Colorado Rockies. The righthander can’t be much worse than the arms Charlie Manuel’s been throwing out there this season: Phillies starters have a 5.31 ERA on the season, including a bloated 5.72 ERA at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.
Veteran southpaw Jamie Moyer (6-6, 6.05 ERA) has been one of the culprits, with a retire-now 7.15 ERA at home this season. He’ll get the call in the middle game of the series on Saturday afternoon (4:05 PM ET), while New York sends Fernando Nieve (3-1, 2.25 ERA) to the bump for his fifth start of the year.
There’s a potentially profitable betting angle with Moyer going for Philadelphia on Saturday. Moyer is a perfect 4-0 this season when he starts during the day, with the Phils 5-0 against the moneyline on those occasions. It doesn’t hurt that the Mets are batting a mere .204 against lefties over their last 10 games, which speaks volumes to the effect the injured triumvirate of Beltran, Reyes, and Delgado has on the Mets offense.
Johan Santana (9-6, 3.34 ERA) goes up against Joe Blanton (4-4, 5.08 ERA) in Sunday’s series finale (1:35 PM ET), with the Mets ace looking to get back on track after some uncharacteristically average outings. Santana has also been overvalued away from Citi Field this season, with a 3-4 record and 5.18 ERA on the road.
Like Moyer and the rest of the Phils starting rotation, Blanton hasn’t enjoyed life in his home ballpark. Blanton has a 6.05 ERA at Citizens Bank this year, contributing to Philadelphia’s money-bleeding ways for backers when it plays at home. The Phillies come into the weekend series only 13-22 at home this season, down -17.92 units for backers. That’s the second-worst mark on the MLB moneylist, with Philly trailing only the Arizona Diamondbacks as a home wager.
New York leads the season series 4-3, and that includes a split in a two-game series in Philadelphia in May. The Phillies took two of three from the Mets the last time the rivals hooked up at Citi Field last month, with both paydays coming in extra innings.
Though the two teams sit just a game apart in the NL East, this weekend's series between the Mets and Phillies just doesn't have that marquee matchup feeling. With their rosters depleted by injuries New York and Philadelphia now find the Marlins slipping between them and the Atlanta Braves hot on their heels. Both teams enter with slumping offenses that could come alive against some of the arms scheduled to pitch.
It goes without saying you should expect fireworks this weekend. Just don’t wait around for them to happen during the three-game series between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Judging by the way the two frontrunners in the National League East are playing right now, you’d be lucky to see a security flare make it out of the infield.
New York Mets (+120 series) at Philadelphia Phillies (-140 series)
The Phillies (39-37, -3.91 units) have one of the best offenses in the league, but not over a recent 10-game stretch during which they’ve dropped eight of 10 games against the moneyline. Philadelphia is fourth in baseball in runs per game (5.23), but is batting only .221 over its last 10 outings, including .199 against righthanded pitching.
That doesn’t bode well for Friday night’s Game 1 (7:05 PM ET) with the Mets (39-39, -1.66 units) sending righty Livan Hernandez (5-3, 4.04 ERA) to the mound. Hernandez has faced some hard luck over his last three starts, as New York has failed to cash despite his 3.00 ERA. If Hernandez continues to pitch well, it’ll be good news for the Mets, who are priced as +125 underdogs for the series opener. The Phils are on the baseball betting odds board as -145 chalk for Game 1, with the total listed at 10.
It’s not as if New York has been lighting it up at the plate, either, although it has been dealing with a bevy of injuries to many of its best players. The Mets are hitting only .230 over their last 10 games, down from their .273 team average (fourth in MLB) on the season. Carlos Beltran (bruised right knee), Jose Reyes (right hamstring tear), and Carlos Delgado (hip surgery) are all on the 15-day disabled list, leaving David Wright to fend for himself in the Big Apple.
Desperate for pitching, Philly hands the ball to Rodrigo Lopez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) on Friday night. Lopez last took the hill on a major league mound back in 2007, when he went 5-4 with a 4.42 ERA for the Colorado Rockies. The righthander can’t be much worse than the arms Charlie Manuel’s been throwing out there this season: Phillies starters have a 5.31 ERA on the season, including a bloated 5.72 ERA at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.
Veteran southpaw Jamie Moyer (6-6, 6.05 ERA) has been one of the culprits, with a retire-now 7.15 ERA at home this season. He’ll get the call in the middle game of the series on Saturday afternoon (4:05 PM ET), while New York sends Fernando Nieve (3-1, 2.25 ERA) to the bump for his fifth start of the year.
There’s a potentially profitable betting angle with Moyer going for Philadelphia on Saturday. Moyer is a perfect 4-0 this season when he starts during the day, with the Phils 5-0 against the moneyline on those occasions. It doesn’t hurt that the Mets are batting a mere .204 against lefties over their last 10 games, which speaks volumes to the effect the injured triumvirate of Beltran, Reyes, and Delgado has on the Mets offense.
Johan Santana (9-6, 3.34 ERA) goes up against Joe Blanton (4-4, 5.08 ERA) in Sunday’s series finale (1:35 PM ET), with the Mets ace looking to get back on track after some uncharacteristically average outings. Santana has also been overvalued away from Citi Field this season, with a 3-4 record and 5.18 ERA on the road.
Like Moyer and the rest of the Phils starting rotation, Blanton hasn’t enjoyed life in his home ballpark. Blanton has a 6.05 ERA at Citizens Bank this year, contributing to Philadelphia’s money-bleeding ways for backers when it plays at home. The Phillies come into the weekend series only 13-22 at home this season, down -17.92 units for backers. That’s the second-worst mark on the MLB moneylist, with Philly trailing only the Arizona Diamondbacks as a home wager.
New York leads the season series 4-3, and that includes a split in a two-game series in Philadelphia in May. The Phillies took two of three from the Mets the last time the rivals hooked up at Citi Field last month, with both paydays coming in extra innings.