The Kansas City Royals have made a huge statement in the World Series, winning the first two games to move within a couple steps of a championship. The New York Mets aren't done yet though, and they'll look to cut the lead in half Friday night in Queens.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Mets have now been favored in both Games 1 and 2 of this series, and they're going to get the nod in Game 3 as well, especially knowing that this is essentially a do-or-die game. This will be the biggest margin in the series for sure, but that certainly isn't going to bother KC, a team which has thrived in this underdog role for two straight seasons.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Yordano Ventura pitched really well in the World Series last year, and he has a chance to put his team one win from a title this year. The flame throwing righty hasn't been remarkable in these playoffs, but he's at least been solid. If he can once again go 5.1 and allow just one run as he did against Toronto in his last start, he'll put the Royals in an excellent position to win.
Noah Syndergaard can throw some heat as well, but he's going to have a tough time against these Royals hitters who just never seem to swing and miss. Syndergaard has struck out 20 men in 13 innings thus far in the postseason, posting a 2.77 ERA along the way.
Pitch count is important here for Syndergaard, though. He's averaged over 18 pitches per inning in the playoffs, and if that's the case again on Friday night, he'll leave the Mets' vulnerable bullpen exposed for at least three or four frames.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"Any opportunity you get with guys in scoring position, you've got to take full advantage of it. I think that was key for us tonight. Every time we got guys on base against deGrom, we took advantage of it." – Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer on the key to plating seven runs in Game 2
SITUATIONAL BETTING
The best news for the Royals heading out to New York in this series is that Johnny Cueto went the distance in Game 2. It was a much-needed day off for KC's overused bullpen. Cueto has pitched into the seventh inning twice in these playoffs. No other pitcher has.
With two days off in a row for the whole bullpen, Ned Yost has every bullpen bullet in his gun available to him on Friday night, something that wasn't the case when Kelvin Herrera clearly wasn't available in Game 2 after throwing 35 pitches in Game 1.
PROP TALK
The Mets just can't hit their way out of a paper bag right now. Take away Lucas Duda, and they went 0-for-25 in Game 2 with just two walks. Wilmer Flores? 0-for-7. Curtis Granderson? 1-for-8. David Wright? 2-for-11. Yoenis Cespedes? 1-for-10. Get the trend here?
With Ventura's postseason success, we don't know if we want any of the Mets on our side for prop purposes.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Royals just keep coming at the Mets, and at this point, there's just no answer offensively from the NL reps. It's shocking to see after such a great run to this point, but the fact of the matter is once you take Dan Murphy out of the equation, there hasn't been a lot for New York's offense to rest its laurels on in October.
It's not often you see a team just turn it on in a series like this offensively. The Mets could be as good as done, a plot turn which no one saw coming just a couple days ago.
Kansas City 3, New York 1
The baseball betting odds for this Friday game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don't have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone or tablet. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The duel between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets will take place Friday, October 30, 2015 at 8:07 p.m. ET at Citi Field. Catch the action live on FOX.
