The New York Mets will try to avoid getting swept to open up the second half of the season when they host the San Diego Padres on Sunday Night Baseball.
Despite losing the first two games of the series, the Mets are slight favorites on Sunday with a -120 moneyline compared to San Diego’s +100 moneyline. There is also an over/under of 7.5 runs in this game.
With Saturday’s loss, the Mets have now lost three in a row, which is a rare occurrence for them this year. The Mets had won eight of their last 12 games before the all-star break, so it’s surprising to see them come out cold. The worst part is that their lead atop the NL East is down to just half a game over the Braves.
Meanwhile, the Padres have won four of their last five games after an uneven stretch during the first half of July. While they are now 12 games over .500, San Diego has fallen 10.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. The only silver lining is the Padres would be comfortably in a Wild Card spot if the season ended today.
Joe Knows
All-star and Cy Young contender Joe Musgrove will get the start for the Padres on Sunday. In his 16 starts this year, Musgrove is 8-2 with a 2.42 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.
However, he’s hit a few bumps in the road lately, giving up five runs on nine hits over five innings in his last start, with the Padres losing three of the last four games he’s started.
The Padres have relied on good starting pitching because their offense still isn’t clicking, scoring four runs or less in four straight games. Manny Machado and Jake Conenworth have carried the San Diego lineup for most of the season.
However, Machado has been kept under wraps for most of the past couple of weeks, while the rest of the San Diego lineup has struggled as well.
Cookie Time
The Mets will look to Carlos Carrasco to help them avoid getting swept on Sunday night. While he’s had some ups and downs this year with a 4.27 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP, Carrasco is 10-4 over his 18 starts, so he’s been a good-luck charm for the Mets this year. He’s also been at his best in July, pitching to a 1.56 ERA over his last three starts while helping the Mets win all three games.
Of course, the Mets have come out of the break ice cold offensively. In fact, heading back to before the all-star break, the Mets have just ten total runs over their last five games.
Even with three all-stars in their lineup, things aren’t clicking right now with Mark Canha, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo all going ice-cold at the same time to slow down New York’s offense.
Keep the Brooms Away
The Mets have not been an easy team to sweep this year, so don’t expect that to change on Sunday. Musgrove has been vulnerable lately, and here are a few Mets with a good track record against him. With Carrasco pitching well lately, look for the Mets to eke out a win on Sunday night and avoid getting swept.
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