The New York Mets (97-57), one of the highest-scoring offenses in baseball, are set to host the Miami Marlins (63-90) at Citi Field on Tuesday for the opener of a two-game series. The Marlins are embarking on a six-game road trip after wrapping up a six-game homestand (3-3). They won two out of three in their last series against the Nationals, dropping the finale 6-1 on Sunday at loanDepot park. Lewin Diaz was 1 for 3 with a solo home run. The Mets just wrapped up a successful six-game road trip (4-2). They won two of three against the Athletics in their last series, taking the finale 13-4 on Sunday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Pete Alonso went 4 for 5 with a home run and a double. He scored three runs and had five RBIs. Francisco Lindor went 3 for 5 with a double, three runs, and three RBIs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Mets have won 12 of 17 in the season series between the NL East rivals, including a 9-3 victory in their most recent meeting on September 11 at loanDepot park. Starter Taijuan Walker went seven innings to get the win, giving up one run on five hits and striking out 10.
ON THE MOUND
Pablo Lopez (9-10, 3.88 ERA) is in line to get the start for Miami. The righty allowed one run over 6.2 innings in his last start, a 2-1 road defeat against the Cubs on September 20. He gave up five hits while striking out six in the no-decision. Over four previous starts against the Mets this season, Lopez has allowed 21 earned runs over 16.2 innings (1-3, 11.34). He has struck out 13 and walked five. Righty Carlos Carrasco (15-6, 3.79 ERA) gets the start for New York. He has made four appearances against the Marlins this season, all as the starter, giving up six runs over 25.2 innings (3-0, 2.10) with 25 strikeouts and six walks. In his last start on September 20, Carrasco took a no-decision on the road against the Brewers. He threw four innings and gave up three runs on five hits, striking out four and walking two in the 7-5 victory. The righty is tied for fifth in the NL in wins.
AT THE PLATE
The Miami offense is averaging 3.6 runs per game for the season, third lowest in the league, with a slash line of .230/.295/.364. Miguel Rojas leads the team in OPS at .608. The shortstop is slashing .236/.282/.326 with six home runs, 35 RBIs, and 33 runs over 135 games. Against right-handed pitchers like Carrasco this season, the Fish have a .675 OPS, fifth lowest in MLB. Garrett Cooper is the team’s strongest hitter against right-handers with a .785 OPS in 320 at-bats. New York is slashing .259/.333/.411 for the season and averaging 4.8 runs per game, fourth best in MLB. Four Mets hitters have an OPS of .800 or better, led by Alonso (.868). The first baseman has 39 home runs, 128 RBIs, and 90 runs scored with a slash line of .270/.349/.519. New York is averaging 6.6 runs per game in the last five with a better slash line (.277/.337/.435). The Mets have a .754 OPS against right-handers in 2022, third highest in MLB. With a .873 OPS over 435 at-bats, Alonso also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Miami is 31-44 in road games in 2022, scoring 3.6 runs per game while allowing 4.1 runs. New York has won four in a row in front of their home fans. The Mets are 50-26 at home this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game while surrendering 3.3. New York is 6-4 in the last 10 games between the teams at Citi Field with an average scoreline of 5.2-2.9.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Mets lead the NL East by one games over the Braves. Their magic number in the division is eight. The Marlins are fourth in the NL East, 33 games behind the Mets.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
New York Mets (-225)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.