Los Angeles pitcher Zack Greinke continues his pursuit of MLB history when he faces the New York Mets on Friday.
The Dodgers’ righty hasn’t been scored on in his last 42.2 innings and is closing in on the record of 58 when he faces the NL’s lowest scoring offense.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Dodgers ended a two-game losing streak behind a solid and much-needed outing from Mike Bolsinger on Wednesday, beating the Braves 3-1. They open this four-game set against the light-hitting Mets throwing their aces at New York. Following Clayton Kershaw’s outing Thursday, Zack Greinke gets the nod riding a scoreless innings streak that’s reached 42.2. He hasn’t allowed a run over his last six starts with the under at 5-1 in those games. The only game in that stretch that played above the scoreline was against the Mets on July 4, when the Dodgers bullpen allowed three New York runs in a 4-3 win. The under is 7-1 in Greinke’s last eight starts overall and 4-0 in his last four starts on the road. The Dodgers haven’t been spanking the ball around the yard either and with a couple of struggling offenses, the under again looks like a smart play.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Zack Greinke (9-2, 1.30 ERA) continued his run of dominance by hurling eight shutout innings with 11 strikeouts in a win over the Nationals on Sunday. His streak of scoreless innings is up to 42.2, just 15.1 shy of Orel Hershiser’s MLB record. In his last six scoreless starts, he held opposing hitters to a .129 average with 42 strikeouts and four walks. He last allowed a run in the eighth inning on June 13 against San Diego.
The Mets were a victim in Greinke’s current streak, getting blanked on four hits over seven innings by the righty on July 4. Greinke sports a 0.75 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 12 innings in two career starts at Citi Field.
Jonathon Niese (5-8, 3.36 ERA) held the Cardinals scoreless over 7.2 innings Sunday in a no-decision, his second scoreless start in his last three outings. He allowed only five singles to the Cards with a walk and three strikeouts. He’s been quietly stellar since the beginning of June going at least six innings in all eight starts with a 2.28 ERA.
Niese pitched seven innings for the win against LA at Citi Field on May 22, 2014 and owns a 3.79 ERA in six lifetime starts against the Dodgers.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“It’s speaking to how good he’s pitching and how consistent he’s been, really over the whole season. It’s hard to be better than this.” – Dodgers manager Don Mattingly on Zack Greinke’s scoreless innings streak.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
While the Mets continue to struggle scoring runs, one of their top offensive threats and run producers remains in limbo. Another day brought no change to the status of injured outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who’s still nursing his sore left knee and waiting for anti-inflammatory medication to kick in. He’s still able to pinch hit and hoping to avoid the disabled list. The team is content to wait for Cuddyer to heal, but for how long? The Mets are last in baseball in runs since the start of May and need to consider a change. Cuddyer’s .250 average ranks up there with the team leaders but he’s missed 11 of the last 17 games. Kirk Nieuwenhuis has taken over in left field but he’s hitting just .164 this season and outside of his three-homer, four-RBI game on July 12, he’s driven in just two runs over 37 games.
PROP TALK
Former Met Justin Turner has been a pain in the side of Jonathon Niese. He’s actually hurt a lot of pitchers in the league this season as well. Turner opened the second half hitting .500 with nine hits in 18 at-bats, including a 4 for 4 night Tuesday in Atlanta. Turner has already set a career-high in home runs with 12 this season while hitting .322 and is a .332 hitter since joining the Dodgers for the start of the 2014 season. He’s 3 for 5 against his former teammate Niese with a double, a homer and a walk.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Will Zack Greinke ever allow another run? He can become the first pitcher in the modern era to have seven consecutive scoreless starts and there’s a real good chance he does that against the scuffling Mets, who are last in the NL in batting and runs scored. But baseball is a funny game and anything can happen. However Greinke is just dialed in right now and the Mets are still searching for answers. Greinke’s streak will end sometime and he’s had the benefit of facing teams in the lower third of the offensive rankings. That still doesn’t take anything away from what he’s done, and he continues to do it.
Los Angeles 4, New York 2
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, player props and inning totals. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
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 Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets is scheduled for Friday, July 24, 2015, at 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
