Subscribe
Follow Us
The San Diego Padres and the New York Mets will battle it out in Game 3, with the winner heading to the divisional series. It's time to check out our MLB odds series and deliver a Padres-Mets Game 3 prediction and pick.
The Mets defeated the Padres 7-3 in Game 2 of the National League Wildcard series. The winner will head to Southern California to begin a best-of-5 National League Divisional series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Mets struck first last night when Francisco Lindor slugged a solo home run to left field, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Then, the Padres clapped back in the third inning when Trent Grisham blasted an opposite-field shot home run to left field. It was his second of the series, and tied the game. It was a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning when Pete Alonso clobbered a solo shot to left field, putting the Mets up 3-2. Later, the Mets added some insurance in the seventh when Jeff McNeil doubled to right-center field, scoring two runs. The Padres never looked back.
The Padres will go with Joe Musgrove on the mound today. Musgrove finished the 2022 season with a 10-7 record and a 2.93 ERA. He faced the Mets once this season, lasting 5 1/3 innings while allowing four earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Musgrove is 1-5 with a 5.83 ERA through six career starts against the Mets. Additionally, he is 1-0 with an 8.10 ERA through seven playoff appearances.
Chris Bassitt will take the mound for the Mets. Bassitt is 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA through 30 starts this season. Unfortunately, he did not do well against the Padres this season, compiling an 0-2 record with a 7.84 ERA through two starts. Bassitt is 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA through three career starts. Also, he is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA through two playoff starts.
Here are the Padres-Mets Game 3 MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Padres-Mets Game 3 Odds
San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-192)
New York Mets: -1.5 (+158)
Over: 6.5 (-115)
Under: 6.5 (-105)
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
The Padres won Game 1 with the long ball. Significantly, they clobbered four home runs in the victory. Manny Machado, Jurickson Profar, and Josh Bell all slugged shots, in addition to Grisham. However, Profar went 1 for 4 last night, while Machado went hitless in four at-bats. Bell also went 1 for 4 but otherwise did not make an impact.
Moreover, the Padres left 10 runners on the basepaths. They also had a golden opportunity to score multiple runs in the third inning with runners at second and third with two outs. Ultimately, Machado struck out, leaving them stranded. Machado had another chance with runners on first and third in the fifth inning and once again struck out. Consequently, he left four runners stranded on the basepaths.
The Padres need better pitching in Game 3. Yu Darvish pitched masterfully in Game 1 by tossing seven innings while allowing one earned run on six hits. Subsequently, Blake Snell followed that up by lasting 3 1/3 innings while allowing two earned runs on four hits while walking a gaudy six batters. It ultimately strained the bullpen, and they could not hold their own.
San Diego will need a good pitching performance from Musgrove. The Padres will cover the spread if Machado, Bell, and Profar can clobber the baseball. Moreover, they need to produce with runners on the basepaths.
Why The Mets Could Cover The Spread
The Mets struggled in Game 1, leaving eight runners on the basepaths. Alternatively, they rebounded well last night and clobbered the baseball at the right moments.
Brandon Nimmo went 3 for 4 with an RBI in the leadoff spot. Additionally, Lindor finished 2 for 4 with one RBI and two runs, while Alonso finished 1 for 3 with an RBI and one run. McNeil finished 1 for 4 with two RBIs, delivering the finishing touches on a Mets' victory. Ultimately, it is the formula that has worked all season. The Mets are contact hitters and thrive when moving runners across the basepaths. They will get a chance to do it again against a pitcher that has struggled against them and in the playoffs.
The Mets will cover the spread if they can prevent the Padres from going deep on them. Likewise, Bassitt must carefully locate the strike zone while fooling Machado, Profar, Bell, and Juan Soto.
Final Padres-Mets Game 3 Prediction & Pick
Both pitchers have seen their struggles against one another. However, one of them will perform well today with everything on the line. The Padres had a golden opportunity to finish the series last night. Ultimately, they could not produce the big hit. It will come back to haunt them as the Mets finish what they started last night, and eliminate the Padres to head to Los Angeles for a date with the Dodgers.
Final Padres-Mets Game 3 Prediction & Pick: New York Mets: -1.5 (+158)
