NL East foes will match up Friday night as the New York Mets (1-0) take on the Miami Marlins (0-1). This game will be played at loanDepot Park, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 pm ET.
The Mets are slight favorites despite playing on the road. They are -118 to win, while the Marlins’ moneyline sits at +100. The runline features Miami +1.5 (-166), and the over/under for total runs is 8 (-110).
With Big Expectations, Mets Hope To Get Off To A Fast Start
The New York Mets made most of the headlines over the offseason with a number of big splashes in free agency. Now with big expectations on the season, they are hoping to get out to a fast start this year.
They were able to pick up the win on Opening Day, taking down Miami 5-3. Scherzer picked up the win after giving up three runs in six innings. Brandon Nimmo did the most damage on offense, driving in three runs for the Mets.
On Friday, New York will send David Peterson to the mound. Last season, Peterson went 7-5 with a 3.83 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and struck out 126 in 105.2 innings.
Keep an eye on Nimmo again in this one. Not only did he have a solid day Thursday, but he is two for five against the Marlins’ Jesus Lazardo in his career, with a home run and three runs batted in.
Marlins Looking To Defy Odds This Season
The NL East is stacked with teams like the Braves, Mets, and Phillies all expected to finish at the top. Still, the Miami Marlins feel optimistic about their squad and hope to defy the odds, which has them as +4000 to win the division.
Trying to even the series Friday, Miami will send 25-year-old lefty Jesus Luzardo to the bump. In 18 games last season, he went 4-7 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and struck out 120 in 100.1 innings of work.
There are a couple players who have had success against David Peterson in their careers. Jean Segura is four for nine with a home run and four runs batted in, while Garrett Cooper has also homered and driven in three off of Peterson.
Speaking of Cooper, he only went one for four on Opening Day, but his lone hit was a two-run home run off of Scherzer. Luis Arraez also had two hits, a run, and a run batted in during the loss.
Take The Marlins On The Runline
For the Mets, this was supposed to be Justin Verlander’s turn in the rotation, but as the future Hall-of-Famer was put on the injured list to start the year, this start will now go to Peterson.
It is not to say that Peterson is a bad fill-in, but he is no Justin Verlander. For instance, in his last three starts last season, he went 1-2 and gave up 11 runs over 9.1 innings.
On the other hand, Luzardo has been a pretty underrated pitcher. In his last three starts of 2022, he gave up just three runs over 18.2 innings, while striking out 29 in that span.
Even if you don’t feel comfortable taking them straight up, there is a lot of value in taking Miami on the runline in this one. Take the Marlins +1.5 (-166) Friday night.
