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BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 19: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox throws over Ryan Mountcastle #6 of the Baltimore Orioles but was unable to complete a double play during the fourth inning at Fenway Park on September 19, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) (Photo by Winslow Townson / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Last week, a four-part documentary highlighted the 1986 New York Mets’ victory over the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The two teams meet again for a two-game midweek series starting Tuesday.

The stakes may not be quite as high as they were 35 years ago, but both teams still have plenty to play for so let's focus on the present and take a look at the MLB odds for this game.

New York Mets vs. Boston Red Sox

Tuesday, September 21, 2021 - 07:10 PM EDT at Fenway Park

The Red Sox shook off an August slump and have won five straight to take over the top spot in the American League Wild Card race. Boston is a game and a half up and looking to put some distance on the field.

The Mets, meanwhile, are seeing their playoff hopes fade. New York has lost eight of the last 11 and are six games out of the National League East division lead and even farther back—seven and a half out—in the Wild Card race with four teams to pass.

https://youtu.be/RNGj8DNvBBM?t=580

Searching for Momentum

The Mets came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Phillies, 3-2, on Sunday, snapping a five-game losing streak. The slump was even more frustrating given the fact that the first-place Atlanta Braves left the door open, losing four of five over that stretch, and the Mets couldn’t take advantage.

The game was the third straight in which the Mets scored just three runs and the fourth that saw them held below five runs.

https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1439978746107334657?s=20

When Jeff McNeil hit a solo home run to give them the lead in the seventh, it was the first lead the Mets had held since the previous Tuesday. It also snapped a career-long 43-game homerless streak for McNeil.

“As a team, we’ve got to do a better job with runners in scoring position,” manager Luis Rojas said. “We’ve got to score more runs.”

The Mets start the two-game series with Marcus Stroman on the mound. He’s 9-12 with a 2.88 ERA. He has five quality starts in his last six outings but also has five no-decisions over that stretch.

Besides pitching, Marcus Stroman (#0) can play defense. Here he tags out Juan Soto of the Nationals at third base. Greg Fiume/Getty Images/AFP

Looking to Finish Strong

The Red Sox swept the Orioles over the weekend, continuing their dominance over bad teams. Boston is 40-20 against teams with losing records this year.

With the Mets currently four games below .500, the Sox hope to continue adding to that outstanding mark. Boston swept the Mets in two games at Citi Field in late April.

Not everything was good news over the weekend. Reliever Garrett Whitlock left Sunday’s game in the seventh inning with right pectoral tightness, and he appeared to be in pain. The team expected to test him on Monday’s off day.

https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1439953240947183617?s=20

“We’ll know more tomorrow, obviously, with the off day,” manager Alex Cora said after Sunday’s game. “It’s too soon to know what’s going on.” Whitlock has been one of the top performers in the Boston bullpen, going 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning.

The Red Sox will start Eduardo Rodriguez in Tuesday’s series opener. He’s 11-8 on the year with a 5.00 ERA. Originally scheduled to pitch in the Baltimore series, he was pushed back and will be pitching for the first time since Sept. 13.

He has four quality starts in his last six starts, including the last time out, against Seattle.

The Pick

The Red Sox are heading into the final four series of the regular season with only three games remaining against a winning team—the Yankees. Other than that, it’s the Mets, Orioles and Nats.

For today's MLB pick, look for Boston to continue to beat up on the have nots with a win over a Mets team that is starting to look at who will stay and who will leave as new owner Steve Cohen is likely to clean house over the offseason.

MLB Pick: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.