After getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers at home with a loss on Sunday night, the New York Mets had to fly all the way across the country to begin a series with the San Francisco Giants on Monday night. Naturally, the Giants are the favorites at -210 while the Mets have a moneyline of +170. Monday’s game also has an over/under of 8 runs.
The Mets have come apart at the seams during the month of August, getting swept twice while going 4-10. In that span, they’ve gone from first place to third place in the NL East and are now just one game over .500. The only bright side is that they are very much in the NL East race, just 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves.
Meanwhile, the Giants remain the best team in baseball, sitting 34 games over .500. The Giants have gone 11-3 during the month of August, helping them keep the Dodgers at a safe distance. Even with Los Angeles being equally good this month, the Giants maintain a four-game lead atop the NL West.
Need Some Gauze
It’ll be Kevin Gausman taking the mound for the San Francisco Giants on Monday night. He has turned in perhaps the most surprising season of anyone in San Francisco’s rotation, going 11-5 with a 2.29 ERA over 23 starts. After some hiccups in July, Gausman has bounced back with two good starts and two wins in August, albeit both starts coming against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Of course, the Mets might be the ideal opponent for Gausman to keep it going. The Mets have been held to four runs or less in 10 of their 14 games in August, which explains their troubling record. Michael Conforto has started to wake up in August, but he’s the only hitter in New York’s lineup who’s going well right now.
Climbing the Hill
The New York Mets will look to Rich Hill to help them snap out of their funk. Hill has put together a solid season, going 6-4 with a 4.05 ERA, overcoming a dreadful month of April. However, he’s posted a 5.00 ERA and covered just 18 innings over four appearances since being traded to the Mets, not quite making the impact they hoped he would.
Hill now has to face a San Francisco lineup that’s averaging 5.9 runs per game over the team’s last eight games. With Evan Longoria back from the IL, the Giants finally have everyone healthy and have started to click offensively. Veterans Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey have been standout performances in August, while Brandon Belt has found his power stroke since returning from the IL earlier this month.
Tired Team
Statistically, the Giants are a little better against right-handed starting pitchers, which could give the Mets a glimmer of hope with Hill on the mound. But with Posey, Longoria, and Kris Bryant, the Giants have more than enough right-handed hitters to do some damage.
With the Mets tired and discouraged after their long trip that comes on the heels of getting swept at home, bet on the Giants to win Monday’s series opener.
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