Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets Prediction: Can Either Offense Rebound From Subpar Performances?
Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets Prediction: Can Either Offense Rebound From Subpar Performances?
On Sunday, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies missed golden opportunities to finish off sweeps of two of Major League Baseball’s worst teams. The Mets and Phillies combined for just three runs against the Nationals and Athletics in their series finales, but both enter this opener occupying the top two spots in the NL East.
Both the Mets and Phillies disappointed last season, finishing at least 6.5 games behind the Braves in the division and missing the playoffs. However, both teams were active in the offseason, and each made moves to bolster their lineups. The Phillies added Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, while the Mets acquired Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar.
Will any of these offseason acquisitions help their offenses rebound from lackluster performances yesterday?
Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets Prediction
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The Mets hope they get the same first-half production from starting pitcher Taijuan Walker as last season. Walker pitched to a 2.66 ERA and allowed a slugging percentage of .298, the lowest of any first half of a season in his career. The fact that he did not allow many extra-base hits is even more critical when pitching in a hitter-friendly stadium like Citizens Bank Park. Walker allowed five home runs in five starts against the Phillies last year but pitched to a 3.76 ERA and a 0.987 WHIP in those 26.1 combined innings.
Walker is opposed by Philadelphia’s Ranger Suarez, the converted reliever who shocked many with a 1.36 ERA in 39 appearances (12 starts) last year. Suarez is still likely being stretched out as a starter, so it would not be a surprise to see the Phillies bullpen used for at least 12-15 outs today.
New York’s offense was limited to seven runs over the final two games of the Washington series, though four of them came on one swing of the bat, a Pete Alonso grand slam on Saturday. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s fearsome top five of the batting order was held to one hit in 19 combined at-bats, a significant regression from a solid Opening Day where they combined to go 7-for-19 at the plate, with four walks, seven runs scored, and six RBIs.
The under is 6-1 in the last seven meetings between these teams, but we want no part of either team’s shaky bullpens in deciding our wager’s outcome. So instead, the first five innings total looks much more appealing, as we limit the number of outs each team’s relievers must record.
Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets Pick
PICK: First Five Innings UNDER 5 Runs (-110)
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