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The Marlins and Mets played a doubleheader on Monday that saw the Mets win both games. But only one of the wins actually counted for August, as the other was completing a suspended game from April. In the series finale, pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Carlos Carrasco come into this game having just pitched one of their best starts of the season, respectively. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Marlins-Mets prediction and pick.
After yesterday’s game was postponed by rain, the Mets hope to ignore their drama-filled off day and capture a win here to extend their current three-game winning streak. The Mets remain in contention for the NL East crown, while the Marlins are merely fighting for a better draft pick.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the lines for Thursday’s game.
MLB Odds: Marlins-Mets Odds
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Miami Marlins (+150)
New York Mets (-185)
Over 7 1/2 runs (-115)
Under 7 1/2 runs (-105)
Why The Marlins Could Win
Outside of an awful performance in Colorado in which he allowed 10 runs, Sandy Alcantara had a very good August. Since that game in Denver, Alcantara has posted a 1.24 ERA across four starts. He’s struck out an amazing 37 batters in this span as well. In fact, he struck out 11 and 12 Cincinnati Red batters in consecutive starts against Cincy. He’s also pitched at least 7.0 innings in all of those starts. Simply put, Alcantara has been Cy Young worthy lately. Against a Mets offense that typically struggles at the plate, Alcantara should have no problem shutting down this lineup, and should strike out another 10+ batters as well. If the Marlins offense can get even just a couple runs on the board, that should be enough to secure the victory.
Why The Mets Could Win
Carlos Carrasco threw his best start as a Met in his last outing. He went 7.0 innings, allowing just three hits and two runs, while striking out five batters. Aside from this good news about Carrasco, the Mets are heating up. They’ve won three consecutive games (four if you’re counting their dramatic win in the completion of an April 11 suspended game), and the team now sits just 5.0 games out of first place in the NL East. These games against teams like the Marlins and Nationals are ones that the Mets not only need to win, but ideally sweep. Is something magical brewing in Queens? I think so. The Mets get a huge home run from the middle of the order in the early innings and use this momentum to fuel a win that sees Carrasco pitch another quality start.
Final Marlins-Mets Prediction & Pick
As I just said, the Mets have so much to play for here, while the Marlins do not. That means a lot when it comes to September baseball. The Mets head into Labor Day weekend on a winning streak and continue to claw their way back to the top of the NL East standings.
FINAL PICK: Mets MONEYLINE (-185)