Hot-hitting Francisco Lindor will be looking to extend his 12-game hitting streak as the New York Mets (97-58) host the Miami Marlins (64-90) at Citi Field on Wednesday with the visitors in position to sweep the two-game series. The Marlins took Tuesday’s series opener 6-4, their sixth head-to-head victory in 18 games this season. Starter Pablo Lopez got the win, giving up three runs on five hits over six innings, and Dylan Floro struck out the side in the ninth for his eighth save. JJ Bleday was 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs in the win. Brian Anderson went 3 for 5 with a double and two runs. Pete Alonso went 1 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs for the Mets.
ON THE MOUND
Jesus Luzardo (3-7, 3.57 ERA) is in line to start for Miami. The southpaw allowed one run over 6.2 innings in his last start, a 4-3 road defeat against the Cubs on September 21. He yielded three hits while striking out 11 and walking one in the no-decision. Luzardo has made one previous start against the Mets this season, a 9-3 home loss on September 11. He surrendered five runs on six hits over 3.1 innings, striking out three and walking three. Righty Taijuan Walker (12-5, 3.53 ERA) is on the mound for New York. He has made five appearances against the Marlins this season, all starts, giving up eight runs over 32.1 innings (4-0, 2.23) with 35 strikeouts and six walks. In his last start on September 21, Walker took the loss on the road against the Brewers. He threw six innings and gave up four runs on six hits, striking out three and walking three in the 6-0 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Miami has averaged 3.8 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 3.6. Against righties like Walker this season, the Fish have a .675 OPS, fifth lowest in the league. Garrett Cooper is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .785 OPS in 320 at-bats. New York is averaging 6.0 runs per game in the last five, up from 4.8 for the season, with a higher slugging percentage (.439 vs .411). The Mets have a .721 OPS against left-handers in 2022. With a .877 OPS over 139 at-bats, Starling Marte has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Miami is 32-44 in road games in 2022, scoring 3.6 runs per game while allowing 4.1 runs. New York has gone 50-27 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game while surrendering 3.4. In the last 10 games between the NL East rivals at Citi Field, New York is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 5.4-3.2.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Mets lead the NL East by zero games over the Braves. Their magic number in the division is eight. The Marlins are fourth in the NL East, 32 games behind the Mets.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
New York Mets (-185)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
