San Diego Padres -102 (2x)
ACTION
It is time to start commiting some treason on the base paths. As a die hard Met fan who rode them through some hot streaks and took some tough losses it is time to turn against them just like I did Saturday night in a game they kept giving away in a loss to Arizona. If I know anything, I know my Mets and you can stick a fork in them. After a gritty season where glimmers of hope showed through injury after injury it is now officially over. Carlos Beltran now resides on the West Coast, Jose Reyes is nursing what is apparently the most sensitive hamstring in the world, K-Rod is out of the spotlight brewing a division title, and Johan Santana is still nowhere in sight. But worst of all the red hot Daniel Murphy who carried this team through the early summer is out for the year as well. None of this news but now this team has officially lost their fight. They have dropped five straight and are playing all the way in San Diego which has been a house of horrors for the Mets who are 8-20 in San Diego over their last 28 games.
As for the Padres they still are struggling but have found a way to win 7 of their last 11 but the way they have won those games has been impressive. Mostly, with the bats rather then the 2-1 games we are accustomed to seeing the Padres in year after year. Over those last 11 games the are averaging over 6 runs per contest. One of those games was against the starter they will see Monday night, R.A. Dickey. Aaron Harang, Monday starter, faced Dickey last time out a game in which the Padres won 9-5 in New York. In that game the Padres scored the first three innings and led 5-0 after three. When the starters left the Padres led 5-3 and after the Mets went into the 9th trailing 6-4 the Padres rocked Bobby Parnell for 3 insurance runs giving them a comfy 9-5 win.
The Padres are 14-6 in Harangs starts this year while the over is 13-6-1 which shows that Harang may get touched up every now and again but when a pitch needs to be made to keep the game in check he has been making them this year. Just look at his 11-3 record. I think Dickey gets touched up for a few early and I think this game stays fairly close until the Mets bullpen comes in to hand it over.
Good luck everyone.