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Another dandy is expected to take place within the sport of baseball on Friday, as two heated divisional rivals in the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies will leave it all out on the diamond in the first contest of a three-game series. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Mets-Phillies prediction and pick.
Through 20 games, the first-place New York Mets are 14-6 and have officially put the baseball world on watch. While there are still nearly 140 games still to be played in 2022, the Mets couldn't have asked for a better start to the new season.
After a 10-5 loss to the Cardinals on Thursday, New York will try to get back in the win column with righty Tylor Megill scheduled as the starter and his perfect 3-0 record through four starts.
Everything clicked for Philadelphia during the homestand, as they punished Colorado pitching by scoring 32 runs at Citizens Bank Park. On the bump for Philadelphia will be RHP Aaron Nola, who brings his 1-2 record and 3.74 ERA over four starts into play against the Mets.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Mets-Phillies MLB odds:
MLB Odds: Mets-Phillies Odds
New York Mets: +1.5 (-205)
Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+168)
Over: 7 (-100)
Under: 7 (-122)
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Why The Mets Could Cover the Spread
After six games out on the road, the Mets faithful at Citi Field will be amped up and ready to go, especially with how well New York has been playing to begin 2022. Following a string of early-season beanings that finally had tempers boil over in the Wednesday benches-clearing brawl against the Cardinals, don't expect emotions to run low versus the Phillies, a squad that tested New York's patience in the past. New York has been pelted 19 times this season, as no other team in the Major Leagues has been hit more than 14 times in 2022.
If the Mets can keep a level head, then they should be able to let their play do the talking and cover the spread by using a lethal balance of pitching and hitting excellence. While extremely frustrated at times, the Mets still possess one of the best records in the National League.
The biggest reason for New York's success has been the bats. Statistically and on paper, the Mets have one of the best hitting squads that the league has to offer. The Mets rank third in runs scored with 94 and also are collectively raking .259 at the plate, which is good for the second-best batting average in America.
While the pitching has been just as dominant, names within the staff like RHP Tylor Megill has shown that he belongs with his encouraging start in April. Yes, Max Scherzer practically leads every statistical pitching category during the first month of the season, Megill has no doubt provided a spark to his club. Megill is coming off a brilliant outing in which he tossed seven innings with a season-high seven strikeouts and only allowed two runs against the Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Why The Phillies Could Cover the Spread
Standing at 6-10 earlier in the week, the Phillies have fought their way back to .500 after sweeping the Rockies in a four-game set. It appears that the Phillies are finally looking like a team that could make some noise in 2022, as they might be the hottest team at the plate right now.
With a majority of their runs scored coming against the Rockies over the past several days, the Phillies now rank second in all of baseball with 96 men crossing the dish. With a slugging percentage of .413, Philadelphia contains perfect balance inside the batter's box with a lofty .256 batting average and the ability to send the baseball whistling into the outfield bleachers.
The one area of concern thus far has been the pitching, but the ‘Phils seemed to sort that out against Colorado, as they only allowed a total of nine runs in 36 innings. This is a talented group that could still be being affected by the shortened Spring Training, so it would not be a surprise if the pitching staff and bullpen are the reasons that Philadelphia could cover the spread versus New York on Friday evening.
Right-hander Aaron Nola was nearly perfect in his last outing, as the 28-year-old struck out nine Brewers and only gave up one hit through seven innings of masterful pitching.
Final Mets-Phillies Prediction & Pick
The Mets needed a day off after an exhausting and mentally grueling last few days, and expect a sense of fatigue to show on Friday versus the Phillies. Philadelphia is on an absolute tear right now, as there isn't one team that wants to be playing this group right now. New York has played well, but they'll come up just short in the spread against a red-hot Aaron Nola.
Final Mets-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Phillies +1.5 (-205)