The New York Mets try to avoid a third straight loss when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third of a four-game series on Saturday. The first pitch for this contest is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium.
The Mets have lost the first two games, including a 3-2 setback on Friday night. New York is 60-62 and in third place in the NL East, trailing the second-place Philadelphia Phillies by two games and the first-place Atlanta Braves by six games.
Los Angeles has won eight straight, including five against the Mets, to improve to 77-46. The Dodgers are in second place in the NL West, trailing the first-place San Francisco Giants by 1½ games. Los Angeles is also atop the National League Wild-Card standings by 9½ games.
MLB odds have the Dodgers with a moneyline of -270, while the Mets are listed at +220. The over/under has been set at nine runs.
Still a Struggle
The Mets’ troubles at the plate continued, as they managed just two runs and six hits in their seventh loss in eight games. New York is fading fast in the NL East and Wild-Card races and needs to get things turned around in a hurry.
One player who is hitting the ball for New York is first baseman Pete Alonso, who had a home run for the second time in four games, extending his current hit streak to six games. Alonso is batting .258 with 17 doubles, a triple, 27 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 61 runs scored.
Unfortunately, for the most part, Alonso is the only consistent part of the New York offense. He drove in both runs and was the only player with more than one hit.
With that lack of support, the pressure is on left-hander Rich Hill, who will make his sixth start for New York. Hill is 6-4 with a 4.08 ERA between his time with New York and Tampa Bay, striking out 105 and walking 43 in 117 innings.
The 41-year-old has yet to record a decision since joining the Mets, putting together a 4.98 ERA over 21⅔ innings. His last start was against San Francisco on Monday, as he went 3⅔ innings and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out two and walking none.
Team Focus
The possibility of individual awards for Dodgers players is coming up as the regular season nears its end, but Los Angeles players are only focused on achieving the ultimate team goal of winning the World Series again. Walker Buehler improved to 13-2 but immediately deflected when asked about his NL Cy Young chances.
“I want us to win games and win the division and get to the playoffs and do what we did last year,” Buehler said. “If I somehow have the type of year to be in that conversation, that’s great, but at the end of the day, it’s about winning games.”
The Dodgers have done nothing but win games with newly acquired Max Scherzer and he’ll make his fourth start. Scherzer is 10-4 with a 2.69 ERA, striking out 170 and walking 31 in 127⅓ innings between Washington and Los Angeles.
Scherzer picked up a win over the Mets on Sunday in his last outing, going six innings and allowing two runs on four hits while striking out seven and walking two in a 14-4 victory. Scherzer is 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA in his three starts with Los Angeles.
The other big piece of the deal that brought Scherzer to Los Angeles, Trea Turner, is producing. He went 2-for-4 with a double and scored two runs, his fourth multi-hit game in his last five starts. Turner is batting .322 to rank second in all of baseball, adding 23 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 78 runs scored.
First baseman Max Muncy went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in Friday’s win. He and Turner are providing a lot of production in the first two spots in the Dodgers lineup, setting the table for the teammates that come up behind them. Muncy leads the Dodgers with 28 home runs and 76 RBIs, adding 21 doubles, a triple, and 76 runs scored.
Dodgers Win Again
The Mets can’t put together enough offense of late, and Scherzer has been great in a Dodgers uniform. That’s the formula for another Los Angeles win in Saturday’s contest.
When doing your MLB betting, take Los Angeles to win at home.
