New York Mets vs. Milwaukee Brewers Prediction: Can Max Scherzer Rack Up the Strikeouts?
The New York Mets host the Milwaukee Brewers in the final game of their series. Can Max Scherzer rack up the strikeouts tonight? Handicapper Ben Rajavuori provides his prediction and pick for this game.
Ben Rajavuori - June 29, 2023, 4:41 PM EDT
5 minNew York Mets vs. Milwaukee Brewers Prediction: Can Max Scherzer, Mets Bounce Back?
The New York Mets look to avoid another series loss tonight against the Milwaukee Brewers as they enter the series finale down 1-2. The Mets have been reeling and really need to salvage at least a tie out of this series. The good news is that they have their ace, Max Scherzer, on the mound to try and do so. While I'm not betting on the Mets directly, I am betting on Scherzer to perform.
Mets vs. Brewers Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: June 29, 2023
- Time: 7:10 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV, SNY
New York Mets vs. Milwaukee Brewers Prediction
Max Scherzer, at the ripe age of 38, is still dealing. Sure, he's had a few rough starts that have inflated his ERA a bit, but overall, he's still a great pitcher. He is 7-2 with a 3.95 ERA overall, and he has been even better at home, where he is 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA. However, tonight I don't care about how many runs he gives up, just how many strikeouts he gets.
Max Scherzer has been having a "slower" year with his strikeouts. He is getting 1.08 strikeouts per inning in 2023, which is the 63rd percentile. However, he has been heating up lately, as he has hit 8+ strikeouts in five of his last six outings. He had not hit eight strikeouts in an outing in his first seven starts of the season before that. Scherzer should stay hot here, as he has a great matchup against the Brewers.
The Brewers have been striking out a lot. Only a few teams have struck out more than the Brewers this season. Over the last 30 days, it has been even worse. In the last month, the Brewers are striking out at the second-highest rate in the MLB against right-handed pitching at 27.4%. Not the ideal situation to be facing one of the best veteran pitchers in the league.
Max Scherzer has pitched 12 outings against the Brewers in his career and has fared very well in these meetings. He has a 2.63 ERA with 1.29 strikeouts per inning across these 12 meetings. However, in his last outing against the Brewers earlier this season, Scherzer struggled, giving up five runs in 5.1 innings and only striking out two. That was early in the season when he struggled, but now Scherzer is back to his usual self, sitting down batters left and right.
Usually, when a pitcher is facing a team again after struggling in the last outing, I would side with the Batters, but when it's the veteran Max Scherzer, I'm banking on Scherzer to bounce back. Scherzer has been hot and is feeling it, striking out 8+ in five of his last six outings. I think he also does it against the struggling Brewers and gets revenge for earlier this season.
New York Mets vs. Milwaukee Brewers Pick
Pick: Max Scherzer Over 7.5 Strikeouts -106 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
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