The New York Mets will have their hands full when they return home Monday night (7:05 p.m. ET) to Shea Stadium for a three-game series with the NL East Division leaders Florida Marlins . But if the Mets are to climb to the top of the standings, there isn’t a better time to start than now. The Mets need a good game out of RHP Mike Pelfrey (2-5, 5.00 ERA) in tonight’s opener. The Marlins will counter with RHP Ricky Nolasco (3-3, 4.62 ERA).
Oddsmakers at SportsBetting.com currently have the Mets listed as 126-moneyline favorites versus the Marlins, while the game's total is sitting at 9½.
Nolasco's last start is probably one he'll remember for a long time to come. Against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, Nolasco found himself matched up against the hottest pitcher in baseball at that point, Brandon Webb. Webb was 9-0 in nine starts coming into the game, but Nolasco pitched seven innings of one-run ball to give Webb his only blemish of the season. The 6-foot-2 righty allowed just three hits and struck out seven. It was Nolasco's longest outing since Aug. 13, 2006, at Arizona.
After two effective starts, one in which he made folks think a no-hitter was possible, Pelfrey endured a poor outing against the Braves Wednesday night. He faced 24 batters in four innings, 12 of them reached base and six of them — a season high for him — scored. Pelfrey now has lost five straight decisions.
Oddsmakers currently have the Mets listed as 128-moneyline favorites versus the Marlins, while the game's total is sitting at 9½.
The Marlins defeated San Francisco 5-4 as a -110 favorite in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Sunday. The nine runs scored caused this game to be a PUSH on the posted over/under total (9).
Dan Uggla singled in the game-winning run in the ninth inning, while Jorge Cantu was 2-3 with a home run and three RBI in the win.
The Mets lost to Colorado 4-1 as a -120 favorite on Sunday. The five runs scored fell UNDER the posted over/under total (9.5).
Jose Reyes drove in the Mets' lone run, while John Maine took the loss after allowing three earned runs on three hits over six innings.
Point-Spreads.com MLB Picks: Mets ML -126
