Jacob deGrom (2-3, 3.34 ERA) and Ubaldo Jimenez (2-1, 1.59 ERA) start in the second of a two-game series between the New York Mets (17-10) and the Baltimore Orioles (12-12) at Citi Field. The Mets won the last game 3-2 and New York leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 6 and can be seen on MASN, SNY and ESPN.
deGrom pitched 5.1 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs (two unearned), striking out four and walking two in an 8-2 defeat to the Nationals. Lucas Duda (.302, 15 Rs, 2 HRs, 12 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. Jimenez is 2-3 with a 3.40 ERA against the Mets in his career. He is up against a below-average New York offense that’s batting just .236. Adam Jones (.396, 17 Rs, 5 HRs, 21 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
New York is a -124 favorite against Baltimore and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Mets have recorded an overall money line of +685 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 11-2. In interleague play, they have a 1-2 record SU. The Mets have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 2.8 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.9 runs per game. New York is one of the best in the NL in terms of walks at home, earning an average of 3.5 per game. Turning to the pitching and defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Mets. The 2.7 runs that New York’s pitchers allow per home game makes them the top NL staff at home. The Mets are the third-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.11 so far this season.
Over in the other dugout, in contrast to an encouraging overall money line (+121), Baltimore has an unimpressive 4-6 record when playing as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 1-3 record, and a 5-5 record SU. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Orioles are third in the AL with an average of 7.3 hits allowed per game.
The Mets have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Mets have a 13-8 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Jimenez takes the mound. deGrom (RHP) will be on the hill against the Orioles, who have a 10-9 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – BAL, O/U – Over
Notes
Baltimore has won 50% (4-4) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, New York has won 77% (10-3) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Mets are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Orioles have a 0-3 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Orioles are 0-7. The Mets have a 6-9 record when opponents outhit them.
New York ranks near the bottom of the league at 23rd when it comes to home runs, hitting 17 this season. Baltimore ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 32.
Ranking 12th, New York is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.65 per game. Baltimore ranks in the top five at fourth with 9.30.
Ranking 24th, New York is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.656). Baltimore ranks in the top five at second with an OPS of .783.
When the Orioles allow at least one home run, they are 7-7. When the Mets allow one or more homers, they have a 9-6 record.
