The Pittsburgh Pirates (+100) are on the road to face the New York Mets (-120) at Citi Field on Friday. The early total was set at 7.5 with the over a -120 favorite. The Mets (90-55) took Thursday’s series opener 7-1, their third head-to-head victory in four games this season. Starter Carlos Carrasco got the win, giving up one run on four hits over six innings and striking out 11. Pete Alonso went 2 for 3 with one run and one RBI in the win. Daniel Vogelbach added a double and three RBIs. Michael Chavis was 2 for 3 with a double and one RBI for the Pirates (55-89).
ON THE MOUND
Mitch Keller (5-10, 4.22 ERA) is slated to start for Pittsburgh. The righty threw seven scoreless innings in his last start, a 4-3 road defeat against the Cardinals on Sunday. He scattered two hits while striking out six and walking three in the no-decision. Keller has made one previous start against the Mets this season, an 8-2 home victory on September 6. He allowed five hits over six scoreless innings, striking out two and walking two. For New York, righty Taijuan Walker (11-4, 3.60 ERA) gets the start. He has made one prior start against the Pirates this season, giving up four runs over five innings in an 8-2 road defeat on September 6. He gave up six hits and walked two, while striking out three in the loss. In his last start on Sunday, Walker got the win on the road against the Marlins. He threw seven innings and gave up one run on five hits, striking out 10, in the 9-3 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Pittsburgh has averaged 4.8 runs a game, up from their season average of 3.6, while performing better across the board (.237/.298/.416). Against right-handed pitchers like Walker this season, the Bucs have a .654 OPS, third lowest in MLB. Bryan Reynolds is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .799 OPS in 339 at-bats. New York is averaging only 4.4 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.7 for the season. The Mets have a .757 OPS against right-handers in 2022, second highest in the league. With a .379 OBP over 413 at-bats, Jeff McNeil has their highest on-base percentage against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Pittsburgh is 27-46 on the road in 2022, scoring 3.4 runs per game while allowing 4.7 runs. New York has gone 47-26 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game while surrendering 3.4. New York is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings at Citi Field with an average scoreline of 5.5-3.7.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Pirates are fifth in the NL Central, 29 games behind the division-leading Cardinals. The Mets lead the NL East by one games over the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
New York Mets (-250)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
