Steven Matz (5-1, 2.86 ERA) and Wily Peralta (2-4, 7.30 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the New York Mets (22-18) and the Milwaukee Brewers (18-23) at Citi Field. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 20 and can be seen on FSWI and SNY.
Matz pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering two runs, striking out five and walking one in a 4-2 win over the Dodgers. Neil Walker (.261, 16 Rs, 10 HRs, 20 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4. Peralta went 4.2 innings, surrendering six runs, striking out three and walking three in an 8-7 defeat to the Padres in his most recent start. Ryan Braun (.364, 21 Rs, 7 HRs, 28 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
The odds for New York and Milwaukee are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Mets have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. As for the New York defense and pitching staff, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Mets. The 0.0 runs that New York’s pitchers allow per game makes them the third-ranked staff in the NL.
Offensively, the Brewers have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Brewers are an excellent base stealing team with 30 stolen bases, ranking third in the MLB. The Brewers allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – MIL
Notes
The Mets managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Brewers who are coming in with a 12-11 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Brewers are 2-19. The Mets have a 5-14 record when opponents outhit them.
Milwaukee ranks in the top half of the league at 14th when it comes to home runs, hitting 45 this season. New York ranks in the top five with 56.
Ranking 25th, New York is near the bottom of the league in hits, notching 7.82 per game. Milwaukee ranks in the bottom half at 20th with 8.05.
Ranking 16th, New York is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.731). Milwaukee ranks in the top half at 14th with an OPS of .733.
When the Brewers allow at least one home run, they are 14-19, well-matched with the Mets who are 8-11 when allowing at least one homer.
