The New York Mets will travel to take on the Miami Marlins in a Thursday afternoon Opening Day matchup at LoanDepot Park. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Mets-Marlins prediction and pick, laid out below.

The New York Mets were phenomenal last season. finishing with a 101-61 record. Still, the Mets could only muster a Wild Card spot thanks to losing the tiebreaker to the Atlanta Braves, and in the crapshoot of the playoffs, the Mets were eliminated by the San Diego Padres during the Wild Card Round.

Miami has not built on their 2020 magic, finishing the 2022 campaign with a 69-93 record. Only due to the ineptitude of the Washington Nationals were the Marlins able to avoid the NL East cellar. Skip Schumaker has been tabbed as the replacement to Don Mattingly as Marlins manager, so hopefully he will be able to right the ship moving forward.

Here are the Mets-Marlins MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Mets-Marlins Odds

New York Mets: -1.5 (+146)

Miami Marlins: +1.5 (-178)

Over: 7 (-104)

Under: 7 (-118)

How To Watch Mets vs. Marlins

TV: SNY, Bally Sports Florida

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 4:10 PM ET/1:10 PM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Mets Could Cover The Spread

Pete Alonso was once again one of the best power hitters in the majors last season, hitting 40 home runs and driving in 131 runs, with his RBI count leading the league. In his three full seasons (excluding the shortened 2020 season), Alonso has never hit for an average below .260 or less than 37 home runs. Francisco Lindor is here to stay at shortstop, and hit 26 home runs while stealing 16 bases last season. More importantly, Lindor stayed healthy all season long, playing in 161 games.

Coming off a batting title last season and a contract extension over the offseason, Jeff McNeil is the perfect complement to the top sluggers in this lineup, as he hit .326 with 39 doubles in 2022. McNeil will pair with Brandon Nimmo, also the owner of a new contract, whose career .385 OBP sets the table for a powerful middle part of the lineup. Nimmo also hit 16 home runs last season, his most since 2018.

With the departure of Jacob DeGrom, Max Scherzer slides into the undisputed ace role for this club. Scherzer posted a 2.29 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 145.1 innings last season, showing that age has not caught up to him just yet. Losing Edwin Diaz certainly hurts the bullpen, but there are a few capable replacements, as both Adam Ottavino and David Robertson have some closing experience.

Why The Marlins Could Cover The Spread

Luis Arraez was acquired for Pablo Lopez over the offseason, with Arraez leading the American League in batting average, but coming in behind McNeil in the entire league. Arraez hit .316 with 31 doubles and a career high eight home runs last season with the Minnesota Twins. Jean Segura was an underrated pickup for Miami this offseason too, as he's coming off four productive seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Jorge Soler struggled with injuries in his first season with Miami, but he has a ton of power, and is probably the best home run threat for the Marlins, as he hit 48 dingers back in 2019 with the Kansas City Royals. Jazz Chisholm is one of the more electrifying players in the league, and a healthy season would help Miami immensely. Chisholm hit 14 home runs and stole 12 bases in just 60 games last season.

Sandy Alcantara is the Opening Day starter for Miami, coming off a Cy Young campaign in 2022. Alcantara posted a 2.28 ERA with 207 strikeouts in 228.2 innings, and was superb all season long. Closer Matt Barnes was acquired from the Boston Red Sox this offseason, and he rebounded from a brutal start last season to post a respectable 4.31 ERA in 39.2 innings. Barnes saved 24 games in 2021, so the hope is he can find that form for Miami from the get go this season

Final Mets-Marlins Prediction & Pick

New York will once again dominant their inferior opponents, but this will be a low-scoring game.

Final Mets-Marlins Prediction & Pick: New York -1.5 (+146), under 7 (-118)