The Mets continue to separate themselves in the NL East and now sit six and a half games up of the Nationals with a 70-56 record. New York continues to be a great bet in August and has a cumulative $1,288 moneyline on the year. Their weekend opponents, the Red Sox, sit at the bottom of the AL East and are just 58-69 with a -$1,633 moneyline.
ODDS ANALYSIS
New York had won 11 of 13 before dropping three straight to the Pirates. Since then, they’ve got right back to winning, splitting a brief two game set with the Orioles and then taking six straight.
The Mets have scored at least four runs in eight straight games and at least five in seven of them.
Pitching wise, the team has had a few hiccups, but still ranks fourth in all of baseball in team ERA.
On the other side, the Red Sox are playing pretty well, too, winning six of their last nine games. They’ve won or split four straight series.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Noah Syndergaard gets the start for the Mets in this series finale and New York is at home; that’s bad news for Boston.
The 22-year old rookie right-hander has been nearly unhittable at home with a .194 opponent batting average and has a 1.82 ERA in 64 1/3 innings of work. Remarkably, his control has been much better at home as well with 8.13 strikeouts per walk in his nine starts.
At home Syndergaard is 7-1. Overall, he is 8-6 with a 3.19 ERA and 1.141 WHIP. In his last two starts, he’s pitched just five innings each, allowing five total runs, but both of those came on the road.
To counter the young homebody, the Red Sox will turn to southpaw Wade Miley.
Miley has had an up-and-down season in Boston. Overall, he’s 10-10 with a 4.51 ERA and 1.386 WHIP, though his FIP is 3.91, indicating that he’s been rather unlucky in his 153 2/3 innings.
In August, Miley’s been pretty solid in going 2-1 with a 4.01 ERA through five starts.
QUOTE TO NOTE
The Mets are playing well and expect to win every game, particularly against teams with worse records like Boston. After beating the Phillies on Wednesday, manager Terry Collins said:
“You’ve got to win games you’re supposed to win, there’s no question about it.”
LIVE/SITUATIONAL BETTING
Overall, the Mets’ offense hasn’t been good this year. In the first half, they scored the second fewest runs in the National League, but in the second half, it’s been a completely different team. The Mets have scored more runs in August than any other team in baseball.
Yoenis Cespedes has made a huge difference to this team with a .941 OPS, but even some of the mainstays have picked up their games. Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda and Wilmer Flores are all picking up big hits and the returns of Travis d’Arnaud and David Wright make this lineup even deeper.
In Boston, the team remains dysfunctional, but the offense has played well in August, scoring just two less runs than the Mets and ranking first in the American League.
Jackie Bradley Jr. has been hot this month and he along with other youngsters like Brock Holt, Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Travis Shaw continue to make names for themselves.
PROP TALK
Michael Cuddyer and Juan Uribe are the only Mets with a considerable number of at bats against Miley in their careers and neither have dominated the southpaw.
Meanwhile, Daniel Murphy is a very underrated bat for New York and is 3-for-9 against him in his career. While lacking power, Murphy should collect a hit or two on Sunday.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Mets’ bullpen has a few questions, but otherwise this team is locked in. New York’s offense has been the best in baseball this month and their young starter has been one of the best pitchers in baseball when at home this year.
Boston’s offense has produced enough to keep up with the Mets’ bats, but Miley puts them at a disadvantage.
New York 8, Boston 4
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets is scheduled for Sunday, August 30, 2015, at 1:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TBS.
