The New York Mets (16-10 SU, +6.89 Units) were beaten in successive 1-0 games over the weekend by the Nationals. They'll hope that a switch to Interleague play will give them a little more pep in their offense when they face the temporarily homeless Baltimore Orioles (12-11 SU, +1.13) to conclude a short two-game set.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The three losses to the Nationals over the last four games at home were a huge surprise for the Mets. They had won their first 10 games played here at Citi Field this year, and they were up 10.00 units in the process. What should be noted is that the favored team has won all 13 games played here in Flushing this year though, a trend which New York is going to hope continues.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Jacob deGrom tossed 6.1 scoreless innings in New York's first home game of the season, and the Mets will be looking for another similar outing from him on Wednesday night.
deGrom though, wasn't anything special in his last start. He allowed five runs in just 5.1 innings of work, his second straight really bad outing in which he was saddled with a loss.
We're a little worried about deGrom and his strikeout rate, one which has dropped steadily since an awesome start to the season. If he isn't fanning at least six or so batters, New York is generally in a lot of trouble.
It'll be Ubaldo Jimenez on the bump on Wednesday to go against deGrom. The righty has found the Fountain of Youth at the age of 31, as he has a 2-1 record and a 1.59 ERA to kick off this season.
However, bettors should be wary of regression to the mean. Last season, Jimenez was 6-9 with a 4.81 ERA, and he only has one season since 2011 in which he has less than a 4.70 ERA.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"That's the number one thing, to command the fastball and then you can throw your breaking ball off the fastball. I've been doing the same thing in the bullpen, working on the two-seam fastball, breaking balls, all the same work." – Orioles starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez on why he has found success early in this season
SITUATIONAL BETTING
The Mets have been stout in the bullpen over the course of the last several days. In their last three games, they haven't given up a run, and Alexander Torres even pitched around a bases loaded, nobody out situation on Sunday, bailing out Dillon Gee from a potentially disastrous sixth inning.
PROP TALK
The Mets are hitting .211 as a team over the course of their last eight games, and they are averaging just 2.38 runs per game in that stretch. They have struck out 56 times in those eight games, one more K than they have base hits. Translation: Jimenez is probably in for a game where he strikes out a bunch of men.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
We just can't trust the New York lineup right now. This unit is truly a disaster. deGrom is going to need to be really good in this game to win, and we can't see that happening either.
Sure, pitching at Citi Field should help, and going against a team which is incredibly unfamiliar with his stuff can't hurt either, but deGrom hasn't been pitching well enough for us to trust him in this game.
With Baltimore very likely opening up as a dog in this one, we can't look any other way but that of the visitors.
Baltimore 5, New York 3
The MLB lines for this Wednesday contest will first be released by 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!
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