Jon Niese (3-6, 4.43 ERA) and the New York Mets (31-29) go up against Tim Lincecum (6-3, 3.29 ERA) and the San Francisco Giants (34-26) in the last of a three-game series at Citi Field. The Giants won the last game 8-5 and San Francisco leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 11 and will air on CSN-BAY, SNY and MLB Network.
Niese is 1-3 with a 2.98 ERA against the Giants in his career, but is up against a strong San Francisco offense that’s hitting .275 on the year. Wilmer Flores (.251, 26 Rs, 9 HRs, 27 RBIs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 3 with two RBIs. In his pitching opportunities against the Mets, Lincecum is 6-1 with a 2.88 ERA, 83 strikeouts and 26 walks. Joe Panik (.324, 32 Rs, 6 HRs, 25 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Giants, going 3 for 5 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs.
New York is favored by a slight -114 margin in its matchup against San Francisco. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at seven runs. The Mets perform well as a favorite with a 25-7 record and have an overall money line of +234. The Mets are second in the league in WHIP at 1.18.
On the other side, the Giants have a nice record of 17-10 when they are the underdog and are +421 overall with the money line. The top road hitting team in the NL are the Giants, who average 10.5 hits in games away from home. The Giants are one of the top pitching staffs in the NL, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 4.0 runs allowed per game. They also average just 8.4 hits allowed per game, fifth-best in the NL.
So far this season, the Giants are 2-0 against the Mets. This game will feature Lincecum (RHP) on the mound against the Mets, who have a 27-22 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Giants will be the left-hander Niese. Southpaw starters haven’t been a big issue for them as they sport an 8-4 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – SF, O/U – Over
Notes
San Francisco has won 56% (10-8) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, New York has won 58% (15-11) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Mets are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded five strikeouts. The Giants have a record of 11-8 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
It looks like the Giants have a slight leg up on the Mets, as the Giants have won their last two games while the Mets have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Giants are 29-5. The Mets have a 20-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 24th in runs, New York has earned 224 this season. San Francisco ranks eighth with 252 runs.
New York and San Francisco both rank in the bottom half of the league in walks. New York sits at 19th with 162 this season and San Francisco ranks 16th with 173.
The Mets are 21-10 when they hit at least one home run. The Giants perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 23-10 record.
