The Cleveland Guardians (20-23) take one of the least productive offenses in MLB on the road to face the New York Mets (22-23) at Citi Field on Friday to open a three-game Interleague series.
The Guardians are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They won only one out of three in their last series against the White Sox, taking the finale 3-1 on Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Gabriel Arias was 2 for 4 with a home run and a double. He scored two runs. The Mets are in the midst of a six-game homestand. They won two of three against the Rays in their last series, taking the finale 3-2 on Thursday at Citi Field.
Pete Alonso’s on-base streak is now at 12 as he went 1 for 3 with a solo home run. The teams are meeting for the first time since August 22, 2019, when the Mets finished off a three-game series sweep with a 2-0 victory at Citi Field.
ON THE MOUND
Cal Quantrill (2-2, 3.97 ERA) is set to get the start for Cleveland. The right-hander allowed three runs over six innings in his last start, an 8-6 road win over the Angels on Saturday. He yielded six hits while striking out two and walking three in the no-decision.
RHP Carlos Carrasco (0-2, 8.56 ERA) gets the start for New York. In his last start on April 15, Carrasco took a no-decision on the road against the Athletics. He threw five innings and gave up two runs on four hits, striking out three and walking one in the 3-2 win.
AT THE PLATE
The Cleveland offense is averaging 3.5 runs per game for the season, second lowest in MLB, with a slash line of .229/.304/.341. Jose Ramirez leads the team in OPS at .821. The third baseman is slashing .285/.364/.457 with four home runs, 22 RBIs, and 21 runs over 40 games.
Against righties like Carrasco this season, the Guardians have a .646 OPS, second lowest in the league. Ramirez also is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .926 OPS in 96 at-bats. New York is slashing .240/.322/.385 for the season and averaging 4.2 runs per game. Alonso leads the team with ann .854 OPS.
The first baseman has 16 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 30 runs scored with a slash line of .232/.330/.524. New York is averaging 5.4 runs per game in the last five with a higher slugging percentage (.409).
The Mets have a .710 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .850 OPS over 107 at-bats, Alonso also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Cleveland is 11-11 away from home in 2023, scoring 4.0 runs per game while allowing 4.3 runs. New York has gone 9-9 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game while surrendering 4.8. Cleveland is winless in three games at Citi Field between the teams, losing on average by a score of 5.0-1.7.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Guardians are third in the AL Central, four games behind the division-leading Twins. The Mets are third in the NL East, six games behind the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
NY Mets (-150)
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