The New York Mets (+170), one of the top lineups in the league, are set to host the San Diego Padres (-200) at Citi Field on Friday to open their National League Wild Card series. The early total was set at 6 with the over a -120 favorite. The Padres (89-73) won two out of three in their last series against the Giants, dropping the finale 8-1 on Wednesday at Petco Park. Manny Machado was 2 for 4 with a double and one run. The Mets (101-61) are coming off a three-game sweep of the Nationals, taking the finale 9-2 on Wednesday at Citi Field. James McCann went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. Mark Canha added a home run, two runs, and three RBIs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Padres won four of six in the regular season series between the teams, although they suffered an 8-5 defeat in their last meeting on July 24 at Citi Field. Drew Smith threw one inning of relief to get the win, and Edwin Diaz picked up his 21st save with a scoreless ninth.
ON THE MOUND
Yu Darvish (16-8, 3.05 ERA) is slated to start for San Diego. The RHP is tied for third in the NL in wins. Darvish allowed three runs over six innings in his last start, a 3-1 road defeat against the White Sox on September 30. He took the loss, giving up eight hits while striking out six and walking one. Over two previous starts against the Mets this season, Darvish has allowed only one earned runs over 14 innings (2-0, 0.64). He has struck out 15 and walked one. For New York, RHP Max Scherzer (11-5, 2.29 ERA) gets the start. He has made one prior start against the Padres this season, giving up two runs over six innings in a 4-1 home defeat on July 22. He gave up five hits and walked one, while striking out eight in the loss. In his last start on Saturday, Scherzer took the loss on the road against the Braves. He threw 5.2 innings and gave up four runs on nine hits, striking out four, in the 4-2 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The San Diego offense is averaging 4.4 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .241/.318/.382. Machado leads the team in OPS at .898. The third baseman is slashing .298/.366/.531 with 32 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 100 runs over 150 games. Against righties like Scherzer this season, the Padres have a .698 OPS. Juan Soto is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .942 OPS in 329 at-bats. New York is slashing .259/.332/.412 for the season and averaging 4.8 runs per game, fifth best in the league. Four Mets hitters have an OPS of .800 or better, led by Pete Alonso (.869). The first baseman has 40 home runs, 131 RBIs, and 95 runs scored with a slash line of .271/.352/.518. The Mets have a .756 OPS against right-handers in 2022, third highest in MLB. With a .880 OPS over 451 at-bats, Alonso also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
San Diego is 45-36 away from Petco Park in 2022, scoring 5.0 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. New York has won four in a row at home. The Mets are 54-27 at home this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game while surrendering 3.3. New York is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings at Citi Field with an average scoreline of 3.7-3.4.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Mets won the NL East. The Padres finished second in the NL West.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
New York Mets (-145)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
