The Astros make the trip to New York City to face the Mets! These two teams are having very similar seasons with both teams struggling to find consistency. However, both teams are red-hot recently and come into this series with a lot of momentum. Our MLB odds series has our Astros-Mets prediction, odds, and pick for Friday.

Astros-Mets Projected Starters 

Ronel Blanco vs. Jose Quintana

Ronel Blanco (8-2) with a 2.34 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched seven innings and gave up one run on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts in an Astros win.

2024 Road Splits: (5-0) 1.98 ERA

Jose Quintana (3-5) with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched 6.1 innings and gave up one run on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in a Mets win.

2024 Home Splits: (1-3) 3.49 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Astros-Mets Odds

Houston Astros: -1.5 (+150)

Moneyline: -112

New York Mets: +1.5 (-182)

Moneyline: -104

Over: 8.5 (-105)

Under: 8.5 (-115)

How to Watch Astros vs. Mets

Time: 7:10 pm ET

TV: Apple TV+

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Astros Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Astros have opened this season struggling with consistency. They have a 40-40 record currently and have been red-hot, winning seven straight. Despite their struggles, their offense has been great this season with the second-best batting average in the MLB. Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Jeremy Pena, Yainer Diaz, and Yordan Alvarez have been great for Houston behind the plate. The issue is all on the mound where they have struggled. Ronel Blanco, Framber Valdez, and Justin Verlander have stood out on a struggling staff. The Astros have talent, but they need to put it together.

The Astros are starting Ronel Blanco on the mound. He has an 8-2 record, a 2.34 ERA, and a 0.97 WHIP. Blanco has allowed 22 runs on 48 hits with 34 walks and 79 strikeouts through 84.2 innings up to this point in the season. In his 14 appearances for Houston this season, the Astros are 11-3. Blanco has been great on the mound and has been the biggest bright spot for an Astros pitching staff that has struggled to find any consistency. He gets a difficult matchup against a Mets offense that has gotten red-hot behind the plate.

The offense for the Astros has been the best in the MLB this season. They are first in batting average at .263 after they finished last season at .259. Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez lead the Astros in almost every important batting category. Altuve leads in .303 batting average and total hits at 99. Tucker leads in home runs at 19 and in OBP at .395. Finally, Alvarez leads in RBI at 41. The Astros have been great on offense, and they have red-hot recently. They get a decent matchup against Jose Quintana on the mound, who has been inconsistent at best for the Mets.

Why The Mets Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Mets had a complete makeover from last year to this year. They are 39-39 this season and have won four out of their last five games. Their bats have jumped above average after struggling earlier this season, while their pitching has still struggled. Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Starling Marte, and Brandon Nimmo have been solid behind the plate despite their struggles on offense. Luis Severino, Tylor Megill, and Jose Butto have been solid despite the staff struggling. The Mets have struggled this season, but they are playing well leading into this matchup.

The Mets are starting Jose Quintana on the mound and he has a 3-5 record, a 4.58 ERA, and a 1.32 WHIP. Quintana has allowed 41 runs on 78 hits with 26 walks and 78 strikeouts through 78.2 innings. In the 15 games that he has started, the Mets are 8-7. This is a difficult matchup for him because the Astros' offense has been great this season. Quintana has been inconsistent for the Mets on the mound, so this should be a difficult matchup against the Astros behind the plate.

The Mets have not been great behind the plate overall, but have jumped into being an above-average offense. They have a .248 batting average after having a .238 batting average last season. Starling Marte, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Francisco Lindor led the way in most batting categories this season. Nimmo leads in RBI at 46 and in OBP at .360. Then, Marte leads in batting average at .278, Alonso leads in home runs at 16, and Lindor in total hits at 78. They get a difficult matchup against Blanco for the Astros because he has been great on the mound.

Final Astros-Mets Prediction & Pick

This should be a great game with how closely matched each team is. The Mets are playing well and have an offense that has gotten hot recently. However, the Astros have the best offense in the MLB and have the pitching advantage with Blanco being great, while Quintana has been inconsistent. Expect the Astros to win and cover on the road.

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Final Astros-Mets Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (+150)