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If your favorite baseball team isn't playing tonight, make the games more interesting by betting on MLB odds at BookMaker Sportsbook! This is the only online wagering outlet that offers early MLB moneylines, runlines and totals. First pitch for the game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets is scheduled for Monday, April 3, 2017, at 1:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field. The matchup can be seen live on ESPN.
The New York Mets will kick off the regular season as they welcome the new-look Atlanta Braves to Flushing for the first game of a three game set. Atlanta will begin the season and are looking to make a statement early as they prepare to return home to a brand new stadium following this series.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Mets are playing at home, they’re the superior team and they have Noah Syndergaard starting. Typically that equals a win. Except it didn’t last year, the Mets were 9-10 against the Braves including a loss in the lone one of those games started by Syndergaard.
Offensively, the Mets and Braves both have nearly as many questions as answers. For New York, the depth is better, but they’re dealing with three corner outfielders, an entire infield dealing with back problems and a catcher whose inability to throw could mean we see Renee Rivera behind the plate on Opening Day instead of Travis d’Arnaud.
Rivera would help the running game, but most anybody can run on Syndergaard regardless of who is catching. Meanwhile, the light hitting career backup gives the team a hole in the lineup.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
There are questions about the health of some of the pitchers in this Mets’ rotation, but not at the top where Noah Syndergaard will be making his first Opening Day start.
The 24-year old right-hander is in just his third big league season, but is already an All-Star and a Cy Young contender, finishing eighth in the voting last year after going 14-9 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.149 WHIP. Even more impressive is that the peripherals say he pitched even better than that with a league leading 2.29 FIP. He was dominant. He struck out 10.7 per nine innings while walking just over two. He also surrendered just 11 home runs in 183.2 innings of work.
While Syndergaard dominated the league last year, the Braves actually got to him in his only start against Atlanta. He took the loss after lasting just 3.2 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits and three walks.
Pitching against Syndergaard is Julio Teheran, the ace of the Braves who seems older than his age. The righty is just 26, but will be pitching in his fifth full season in the majors. A two-time All-Star, he’s coming off a very strong season after a down year in 2015.
Last year, he went just 7-10, failing to record at least 10 wins for the first time since his taste of coffee season in 2012. Despite that, he pitched to a 3.21 ERA and 1.053 WHIP.
Teheran doesn’t have as nearly as dominating strike out numbers, but he still had a strikeout to walk ratio over four as he made the opposition earn their way on base.
The Braves’ ace has a bit better history against the Mets than Syndergaard had against Atlanta. Teheran has faced New York 15 times, making 14 starts. He’s 7-3 in that time with a 2.36 ERA and 1.025 WHIP over 91.2 innings. That’s a reasonable sample size.
In the end, you cannot argue that Syndergaard is the more dominating pitcher, but save for 2015, Teheran has put together a strong career so far and is an underrated arm making this matchup much closer than some may think.
LIVE BETTING
As a whole, the Braves roster is 15-for-50 lifetime against Syndergaard. That’s a .300 average.
Freddie Freeman leads the way for this Atlanta squad and is 3-for-6 with a home run against the Mets’ righty. Of course, it isn’t all roses for the Braves in this matchup as Matt Kemp is just 1-for-11 against him with four strikeouts.
In the end, as Freeman goes so go the Braves, but the talented first baseman does need support and that’s what Kemp is supposed to provide though he obviously doesn’t scare Syndergaard.
Out of the other dugout, watch out for when Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson or Lucas Duda come to the dish. All three of them have a pair of dingers off of Teheran. The team has a whole, however, have a collective .196 average against him.
QUICK PICK
The Mets are at home and they’re playing the Braves who are improved after a plethora of offseason moves to bring in some veteran arms and add Brandon Phillips to the infield.
Nevertheless, Atlanta remains one of the have-nots in the game.
Despite that, when Teheran is on the mound, the Braves have a chance, too bad it’s Syndergaard on the other side which should lead to a low scoring affair.
With this Game 1, neither pitcher will go deep. Don’t look for more than six innings out of either. Instead, the bullpens will decide this game in the final three innings which could be an adventure.
The Mets are without Jeurys Familia due to suspension, pushing Addison Reed back to the ninth. Is there enough to bridge the gap in New York?
Ultimately, the Mets get by with the win, but it’ll be close with the bullpen giving up a couple runs late to both teams.
MLB Odds: Mets 5, Braves 4
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