Two legendary franchises will open a three-game set in New York when the Dodgers travel to meet the Mets in a Friday night showdown. Let’s analyze this matchup and find the sharp side in our MLB picks tonight!
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets
Friday, August 13, 2021 – 7:10 PM ET at Citi Field
On Thursday night the Dodgers watched their four-game winning streak come to a halt, as well as the opportunity to sweep the Phillies for the first time in nine years, in a 2-1 loss to Philadelphia. It was a pitcher’s duel and the Phillies came out on top after dropping the previous two meetings by scores of 5-0 and 8-2. Los Angeles had a golden opportunity to crack the game wide open with bases loaded in the ninth inning but right fielder, Billy McKinney, hit a lazy fly ball with two outs ending the game.
Dodgers’ starting pitcher, Mitchell White, worked four full innings and surrendered both of the Phillies’ runs, one of which was a solo blast by Bryce Harper. “Mitchell White did everything we asked,” Roberts said. “A seeing-eye grounder (by Torreyes) and Harper got him. But he pitched well and the guys in the bullpen pitched well in the whole series.”
While the Dodgers were getting edged, the Mets were busy sweeping up the Nationals in claiming three consecutive wins with the most recent being a 5-4 win in the second leg of a doubleheader. The first game also went to New York, as they secured a 4-1 seven-inning win in the opener on Thursday.
Pete Alonso was the hero of the night game as he took a Kyle Finnegan sinker deep in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the victory.
“I know I clipped it pretty good when I got it,” Alonso said. “I saw it go up. With the winds here because it was pretty storming, it was like a hurricane winds there.”
“I didn’t know if any of those winds or those false winds were kind of still swirling around in the stadium. So, I know I hit it pretty well but I didn’t know if it was going to go just because of the environment, but really happy over the wall,” he said.
Pitching Matchup
The Dodgers will send Julio Urias (13-3, 3.41 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 144 strikeouts) to the hill after allowing three runs on six hits throughout five full innings of work in what resulted in a 5-3 win over the Angels last Saturday. The 25-year-old southpaw has enjoyed his most productive season to date and will get a look at the Met’s lineup for the first time this season.
On the other side of the diamond, the Mets will trot out Tylor Megill (1-2, 3.20 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 48 strikeouts), a 6’7” righty who last pitched four-plus innings and surrendered four runs on five hits in a 5-3 loss to the Phillies. It was the second consecutive start in which Megill has been touched for four earned runs. He has yet to face the Dodgers this season.
Wanna Make a Bet?
The MLB odds at all of the best online sportsbooks are showing the Dodgers have spiked from an opening favorite of -143 to ranging between -152 to -165 as of this Friday morning writing. I find the price on the home dog rather enticing but am concerned about New York’s starter, Tylor Megill, and the way he has been throwing over his last pair of starts. He was cruising along just fine in this, his rookie year, but August rolled around and things have not been the same. It appears there is now enough game tape on him for hitters to become familiar with his mechanics.
On the flip side, we see LA’s Julio Urias racking up the W’s as the Dodgers try to catch the first-place San Francisco Giants. Both teams are very much in playoff contention as the Dodgers are five games removed from the top spot in the NL West while the Mets are just half a game behind the Phillies in the NL East. Therefore, neither team has more incentive than the other to get the job done tonight.
With all of that said, I will side with the Dodgers and lay the lumber. LA has the bats to make life miserable for the rookie and is second in scoring while the Mets check-in at No. 28 of 30 in runs scored this season. Let’s lay it and like it with Big Blue tonight!
Free MLB Pick: Dodgers -152 at SugarHouse
