Sandy Alcantara is having perhaps the best season ever by a Marlins starting pitcher and he’s the NL Cy Young betting favorite. The right-hander is on the mound Friday in a series opener against the visiting Mets, who are favored on the MLB odds.

How to Bet Mets at Marlins MLB Odds & TV Info

• When: Friday, 6:40 PM ET
• Where: loanDepot Park
• Probable pitchers (away/home): Chris Bassitt/Sandy Alcantara        
• TV: MLB Extra Innings
• Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
• Opening MLB Lines: Mets -145, Marlins +135 (total 6.5) | Bet MLB Today

Why Bet on Mets?

New York is 51-5 when scoring at least four runs in a game. The team’s 51 wins when scoring at least four runs is tied for second in the majors. Their .911 winning percentage when scoring four or more runs is the best in the majors.
Catcher James McCann, who missed more than six weeks earlier this season due to surgery to repair a fractured left hamate bone, is ahead of schedule in his return from a strained left oblique. He injured his midsection during a play at the plate against the Marlins on July 9 but has started a rehab assignment. He won’t play in this series, though.

The Mets placed first baseman/DH JD Smith on the 10-day injured list to open the second half, retroactive to July 17, after he rolled his right ankle running the bases against the Cubs on July 16. Manager Buck Showalter said that Smith’s ankle sprain was "a little more significant" than the team first thought, and GM Billy Eppler said he expected Smith to be out at least a couple of weeks.

This could be a bit of a trap game for the Mets after they swept the visiting Yankees in a two-game Subway Series this week following a thrilling 3-2 win on Wednesday before getting Thursday off.

Starling Marte went 2-for-5 in Wednesday’s win and worked a walk-off RBI single against Wandy Peralta in the bottom of the ninth inning, pulling the ball through a drawn-in infield. Overall this season, Marte is hitting .300/.349/.465 with 10 homers, 43 RBI and 12 steals across 333 at-bats. He has collected multiple hits in three straight games.

Pete Alonso went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Wednesday. Alonso extended his hitting streak to six games quickly, hitting a leadoff blast in the second inning to open the scoring. In that span, he’s gone 11-for-20 (.550) with two long balls, three doubles, seven RBI and five runs scored. The All-Star first baseman is slashing .281/.357/.547 with 26 homers, 84 RBI, 55 runs, two stolen bases and 18 doubles overall.

It’s Chris Bassitt (7-7) on the mound here. Bassitt struck out 11 over seven innings of two-run baseball, but picked up a loss last Saturday against the Padres. The right-hander gave up four hits without issuing a walk, but a two-run homer from Manny Machado did him in. Bassitt has given up just five runs in 19 1/3 innings since coming off the COVID-19 list. He’ll take a 3.72 ERA into this one.

Bassitt has faced the Marlins three times this year and is 1-2 with a 3.66 ERA in 19.2 innings.

Why Bet on Marlins?

Small disadvantage for Miami in that it had to play at Cincinnati on Thursday and travel but it was at least a day game. Miami got terrible news on Wednesday as top pitching prospect Max Meyer is set to undergo Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery. Meyer was placed on the injured list this past Sunday after experiencing right elbow discomfort while making just his second career MLB start Saturday versus the Pirates. And an MRI taken on Monday revealed a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. He could very well be sidelined until 2024 given the lengthy rest and rehab process that follows Tommy John surgery. The third overall pick in the 2020 draft, Meyer made two starts this season before the injury and finishes with an 0-1 record and a 7.50 ERA in six innings.

First baseman Garrett Cooper went on the injured list on Tuesday due to a right wrist contusion and could be traded by Tuesday. The 31-year-old was named an All-Star for the first time in his career this season and is currently slashing .279/.347/.426 with seven home runs and 21 doubles through 84 games played.

It’s ace right-hander and Cy Young favorite Sandy Alcantara (9-4, 1.81 ERA) on the mound. Alcantara allowed two runs over six innings and struck out 10 versus the Pirates last Sunday. Alcantara struck out 10 for the third time in four starts this month. He had done that a total of seven times in 93 career starts coming into July.

Alcantara’s 1.81 ERA is the lowest among NL starters and third-lowest in club history through the first 20 starts of a season, behind Josh Johnson (1.62 in 2010) and Kevin Brown (1.76 in 1996). He leads the majors with 144.1 IP and tied a club record with 13 straight starts of 7.0 innings pitched before a 6.0 inning outing on Sunday at Pittsburgh. This record was previously set by Marlins pitcher since Carl Pavano (13 straight in 2004). In 9 of his starts this year has tossed at least 7.0 innings and held his opponent to 1 or 0 earned runs – most in MLB.

Alcantara will make his 14th career start vs. the Mets and is 3-5 with a 2.73 ERA against them. He has the Mets 3 times this season and is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA (22.0 IP/ 6 ER). In their last matchup on July 10 at Citi Field, he tossed 7.0 scoreless innings and allowed just six hits.

Game Trends for the Game

Mets are 23-6 in their last 29 during game 1 of a series.
Mets are 29-9 in their last 38 games following an off day.
Marlins are 2-6 in their last 8 home games vs. a right-handed starter.
Marlins are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. National League East.
Under is 3-1-1 in the last 5 meetings in Miami.

Expert Prediction
Mets 3, Marlins 2 | Bet MLB Today

Expert Prediction: Giants 5, Cubs 3

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