A series between two of the best teams in the National League continues on Saturday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the New York Mets.
The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series and are favored with a -185 moneyline on Saturday compared to New York’s moneyline of +155. The game also has an over/under of 8.5 runs.
Despite the back-to-back losses, the Mets are firmly in control of the NL East. They remain 16 games over .500 and hold an 8.5-game lead over their next closest competitors in the division.
The Mets also came to L.A. with a six-game winning streak, so it wouldn’t take much to get them back on track.
As for the Dodgers, they got swept by the Pirates earlier this week in one of the biggest shocks of the MLB season. But they’ve bounced back with a pair of wins, giving them six wins in their last nine games.
That has allowed them to usurp the Mets for the best record in the National League and put them four games ahead of the pack in the NL West.
Taking a Walk
It’ll be Walker Buehler making his 11th start of the season for the Dodgers on Saturday. Over the first ten starts, he’s 6-1 with a 3.22 ERA and hasn’t taken a loss in a start since April 19.
On the other hand, Buehler has been far from perfect this year, giving up at least two runs in seven of his ten starts, including four runs over six innings in his last start.
Meanwhile, scoring runs doesn’t appear to be much of a problem for the Dodgers despite scoring three runs or less in four of their last seven games.
They can always rely on Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner, who were both Mets killers with their previous teams. Mookie Betts is also red-hot and having an MVP-caliber season, while Chris Taylor, Justin Turner, and Gavin Lux have all heated up over the last week.
Lucky Lefty
The Mets will counter Buehler with young lefty David Peterson. With multiple injuries to the team’s starting rotation, Peterson has stepped in nicely, going 2-0 with a 3.03 ERA over five starts and one relief appearance.
Peterson had a rough season in 2021 but appears to have figured some things out in 2022, although he’s only lasted five innings in half of his outings this year.
At the same time, the Mets have seen their bats cool off in L.A., scoring just one run in two games after averaging 8.2 runs per game during their six-game winning streak.
Of course, that means the Mets have the pieces to get hot quickly, with Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil both producing an OPS over .800. Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor, and Luis Guillorme also entered the series red-hot and will need to get back on track.
First Time for Everything
The Mets have yet to lose three straight games this year, but this could be the day it happens. After cooling off offensively over the last two days, facing Buehler won’t make things easier.
Bet on the Dodgers to win another low-scoring game against the Mets on Saturday night.
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