Johnny Cueto (12-14, 3.75 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals go up against Jacob deGrom (17-8, 2.47 ERA) and the New York Mets in Game 2 of the World Series at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won the last game 5-4, and Kansas City leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 8:07 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 28 and will air on FOX.
In Game 3 of the League Championship Series, Cueto pitched 2.0 innings, allowing eight runs, striking out two and walking four in an 11-8 loss to the Blue Jays. Lorenzo Cain (.303, 110 Rs, 17 HRs, 79 RBIs, 31 SBs) went 1 for 6 yesterday with one run and one stolen base. The Mets were victorious the last time deGrom pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing two runs, striking out seven and walking one in a 5-2 victory over the Cubs. Lucas Duda (.244, 69 Rs, 28 HRs, 79 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 6 yesterday.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Royals have a 13-7 record SU against the NL. The Royals rank third in the majors in extra base hits with 518. They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in all of baseball with 112 steals. Whenever a National League opponent shows up on the calendar, the Royals pitch better. They allow an average of 4.0 runs per game, but allow just 2.7 against teams from the NL.
Against interleague opponents, the Mets are 9-11 SU. When it comes to scoring runs, the Mets haven’t performed as well against teams from the AL. During those games, they averaged three runs per game, below their 4.2 season average. The Mets are known for their bats, hitting 518 extra base hits. New York’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play competition from the AL. They’ve allowed an average of 4.3 runs per game against teams from the AL, higher than their season average of 3.8. They have a WHIP of 1.172 on the year, good for second in the league.
The only other game between the two teams went Kansas City’s way. This game will feature deGrom (RHP) on the mound against the Royals, who have a 64-41 record when they take on a right-handed starter. The right-handed Cueto will take the mound against the Mets, who have a 72-56 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City’s last 6 games.
Kansas City is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City’s last 6 games at home.
Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City’s last 6 games when playing NY Mets.
In their last game, the Mets lost by a margin of one run. The Royals are 26-17 in one-run games. The Mets have a 26-25 record in close games.
The Royals are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded 15 strikeouts. The Mets have a record of 2-4 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they are outhit, the Royals are 16-60. The Mets have a 20-60 record when opponents outhit them.
Kansas City ranks in the bottom half of the league when it comes to home runs, hitting 156 this season. New York ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 192.
Ranking 12th, New York is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.35 per game. Kansas City ranks in the top five at second with 9.24.
Ranking 20th, New York is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.713). Kansas City ranks in the top 10 at eighth with an OPS of .739.
The Mets are 45-55 when they allow at least one home run. The Royals perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 46-55 record.
