Florida Marlins Visit New York Mets
Florida sends its ace Josh Johnson to the mounf as small MLB odds chalk on Tuesday night when the Marlins open a three-game road series with the New York Mets.
No team has been officially eliminated from the MLB postseason yet. That's right, the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates are still mathematically in the hunt. However, the reality is that only six National League teams are realistically in the chase for October baseball.
That half-dozen does not include either the New York Mets or Florida Marlins who begin a three-game series Tuesday night at Citi Field. Opening money lines at BetJamaica listed the Marlins as slight 117 chalk with 6½ for the total, minus 110 high and low.
The two NL East rivals will be meeting for their fifth series of the season, but first since late-June. The 13 previous games have gone to the Marlins by an 8-5 advantage, but both teams have winning marks on their home diamonds. Florida holds a strong 6-1 edge in Miami while the Mets own a 4-2 mark in Queens.
Florida also holds a strong 5-1 advantage over New York the last six times they've sent Josh Johnson (15-10, 2.27) to the mound, regardless of the stadium. The Marlins staff ace will get the ball Tuesday in the series opener while the Mets counter with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (10-8, 2.41).
Johnson's lone loss to the Mets in the six-start span came at Citi Field on Opening Day this April. After opening as the underdog to Johan Santana, the line closed pretty much level in the contest. Johnson surrendered four runs in five innings, taking the loss in the Mets' 7-1 win.
He came back about five weeks later at home and faced Santana once again as 125 MLB odds chalk. Both hurlers were on their game, with Johnson working seven frames and allowing a single run. Florida won it in the bottom of the ninth, 2-1.
Dickey has been a great story this season, and without him the Mets wouldn't be the .500 club they are. Granted, the team is only a couple of games above the break-even mark in his 18 starts. But plug in another arm from the minors – Or God forbid, Oliver Perez! – and New York would really be in trouble.
The Mets are 1-1 when Dickey faces the Fish in 2010, with the former Vol posting rather mediocre stats versus Florida compared to his season-long numbers. In 11 1/3 innings, Dickey has been charged with eight earnies, five of those coming in a 10-3 New York loss in Miami on June 28 in what was a pick 'em against Ricky Nolasco.
He's been solid in his last two starts, however, going the distance at home with a 1-hit, 1-0 shutout of the Phillies on Aug. 13 and pitching into the ninth last week in Houston in a 3-2 win over the Astros as a slight underdog. That game wound up going 14 innings before the Mets pulled it out.
Tuesday's contest will be New York's first home tilt following a 10-game road trip. The Mets were 5-5 on the trip, dropping a series in Philly with Dickey's start their only win, splitting in Houston and winning two of three in Pittsburgh.
Florida took two of three at home over the weekend from the Astros, a short stand for the Fish after having been on the road for 10 games before that and now hitting the road for six more. The Marlins will head to Atlanta for the weekend after they complete this series with the Mets.
Having said all that, we'll now see if Mother Nature will cooperate and let the two teams get the game in. There's a 50 percent chance of wet stuff Tuesday evening in Queens with temperatures expected to stay in the mid-to-upper 60s all day. Current forecasts are calling for a 15 mph NE wind (in from center, right-center).
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
Florida sends its ace Josh Johnson to the mounf as small MLB odds chalk on Tuesday night when the Marlins open a three-game road series with the New York Mets.
No team has been officially eliminated from the MLB postseason yet. That's right, the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates are still mathematically in the hunt. However, the reality is that only six National League teams are realistically in the chase for October baseball.
That half-dozen does not include either the New York Mets or Florida Marlins who begin a three-game series Tuesday night at Citi Field. Opening money lines at BetJamaica listed the Marlins as slight 117 chalk with 6½ for the total, minus 110 high and low.
The two NL East rivals will be meeting for their fifth series of the season, but first since late-June. The 13 previous games have gone to the Marlins by an 8-5 advantage, but both teams have winning marks on their home diamonds. Florida holds a strong 6-1 edge in Miami while the Mets own a 4-2 mark in Queens.
Florida also holds a strong 5-1 advantage over New York the last six times they've sent Josh Johnson (15-10, 2.27) to the mound, regardless of the stadium. The Marlins staff ace will get the ball Tuesday in the series opener while the Mets counter with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (10-8, 2.41).
Johnson's lone loss to the Mets in the six-start span came at Citi Field on Opening Day this April. After opening as the underdog to Johan Santana, the line closed pretty much level in the contest. Johnson surrendered four runs in five innings, taking the loss in the Mets' 7-1 win.
He came back about five weeks later at home and faced Santana once again as 125 MLB odds chalk. Both hurlers were on their game, with Johnson working seven frames and allowing a single run. Florida won it in the bottom of the ninth, 2-1.
Dickey has been a great story this season, and without him the Mets wouldn't be the .500 club they are. Granted, the team is only a couple of games above the break-even mark in his 18 starts. But plug in another arm from the minors – Or God forbid, Oliver Perez! – and New York would really be in trouble.
The Mets are 1-1 when Dickey faces the Fish in 2010, with the former Vol posting rather mediocre stats versus Florida compared to his season-long numbers. In 11 1/3 innings, Dickey has been charged with eight earnies, five of those coming in a 10-3 New York loss in Miami on June 28 in what was a pick 'em against Ricky Nolasco.
He's been solid in his last two starts, however, going the distance at home with a 1-hit, 1-0 shutout of the Phillies on Aug. 13 and pitching into the ninth last week in Houston in a 3-2 win over the Astros as a slight underdog. That game wound up going 14 innings before the Mets pulled it out.
Tuesday's contest will be New York's first home tilt following a 10-game road trip. The Mets were 5-5 on the trip, dropping a series in Philly with Dickey's start their only win, splitting in Houston and winning two of three in Pittsburgh.
Florida took two of three at home over the weekend from the Astros, a short stand for the Fish after having been on the road for 10 games before that and now hitting the road for six more. The Marlins will head to Atlanta for the weekend after they complete this series with the Mets.
Having said all that, we'll now see if Mother Nature will cooperate and let the two teams get the game in. There's a 50 percent chance of wet stuff Tuesday evening in Queens with temperatures expected to stay in the mid-to-upper 60s all day. Current forecasts are calling for a 15 mph NE wind (in from center, right-center).
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
also rain expected.................these odds are just too good to go against UNDER is the play!
