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Who's ready for some Tuesday night inter-league action? A rare matchup will be in the works as the New York Mets take on the Kansas City Royals in the “Heart of America”. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Mets-Royals prediction and pick will be made.
Certainly, it has been a disappointing season campaign, to say the least for a Mets squad that possessed such high expectations entering 2023 after a 101-win 2022 season last summer. At the moment, it isn't statistically possible for the Mets to reach the postseason at 50-55 with just over 50 games remaining on the schedule, but they will need to put things into high gear as they trail the Wild Card race by a full six games. With the hopes of winning their fifth game in their last seven contest, the Mets will send out veteran lefty Jose Quintana who is 0-2 with a 3.27 ERA in only two starts on the year.
It is hard to argue against the fact that the Royals are in full rebuild mode, as their horrendous 32-75 record further proves that. However, the Royals were able to sweep the Twins over the weekend and are experiencing their first three-game winning streak throughout the entire season. Believe it or not, the Royals are officially streaking and are playing their best baseball of the season. With the hopes to make it four straight victories, Kansas City will call upon the 39-year-old Zack Greinke who is enduring a tough campaign with a record of 1-11 and 5.49 ERA in 20 starts.
Here are the Mets-Royals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Mets-Royals Odds
New York Mets: -1.5 (-104)
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-115)
Over: 9.5 (-120)
Under: 9.5 (-102)
How To Watch Mets vs. Royals
TV: SportsNet New York
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 8:10 ET/5:10 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Mets Could Cover The Spread
Without a doubt, these next stretch of games for the Mets are absolutely critical. With a favorable schedule of late that included three wins over the lowly Washington Nationals this past weekend, New York needs every win they can get down the stretch in order to get back in the playoff race. The season isn't over by any means, but the next few games including this series will say a lot about where the Mets stand.
Most importantly, in order to make some Mets bettors smile, the best chance that New York has to cover the spread is to get after Zack Greinke in the form of the long ball. On paper, the Mets are definitely not the home-run hitting team that they were a year ago, but whenever the Polar Bear himself reigns supreme, then any game can change with one swing of his bat. Without needing a proper introduction, the main reason that the Mets will cover is due to Pete Alonso and is ability to crush baseballs into outer space. So far, Alonso has obliterated the third-most round-trippers in baseball with 30 total and has already had two multi-homer games since the All-Star Break.
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
Is it Chiefs season yet? Even though most fans in and around the Kansas City metropolitan area may be asking this very question with NFL Training Camp in full swing and the Royals' struggles this summer, it is still a feel-good story that one of the worst teams in the American League is in the midst of their longest winning streak of the season. While the Royals may not be going anywhere any time soon, who's to say they can't send the Mets back to the hotel packing in a series-opening covering of the spread?
With a very minuscule room for error this evening, the Royals must take advantage of the Mets' tendency to allow baserunners on at a usual rate. At the moment, New York enters play with a 1.35 WHIP which ranks as the 21st-best mark in baseball. Although the Royals haven't done themselves any favors this season at the plate, an increase in reaching base and capitalizing with runners-in-scoring-position has been at the forefront during KC's winning streak. If the Royals remain patient at the plate and don't chase pitches out of the zone, then this productivity in giving pitchers some trouble on the base paths should continue.
Although it seems like yesterday when future Hall-of-Famer Zack Greinke put together a monstrous campaign in 2015 for the Dodgers that resulted in a remarkable 1.66 ERA in 32 starts, the sad truth is that the 20-year veteran is nowhere near the pitcher he once was. Unfortunately, Father Time catches up to all of us eventually, but this does not mean that Greinke is still capable of cooking up a gem from time to time. Even more encouragingly, Greinke does happen to boast a 5-1 record to go along with a 3.49 ERA in nine career starts.
Final Mets-Royals Prediction & Pick
The three-game winning streak has certainly been fun, but the Mets have more to play for at the moment and are in full desperation mode.
Final Mets-Royals Prediction & Pick: Mets -1.5 (-104)