This Wednesday, we’ll be treated to this season’s final installment of last year’s World Series rematch between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets.
The Mets snuck away with a victory on Tuesday, but the Royals shouldn’t be too discouraged about that loss given their current form this month of June. Who will prevail with the last ‘W’ in this interleague blockbuster? Let’s find out below.
Afterwards, check out our previews for Rockies vs. Yankees and Giants vs. Pirates for even more sweet baseball betting opportunities to get you over the working week’s hump.
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Kansas City Royals vs. New York Mets Preview
Where: City Field, New York
When: Wednesday, June 22, 1:10 PM ET
Line: Kansas City Royals (+170) at New York Mets (-200); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: MLB Network
Betting on the Kansas City Royals (+170)
The Kansas City Royals (38-32) had a power outage of sorts this Tuesday as they fell to the New York Mets, 2-1.
Tuesday’s starter in Danny Duffy (2-1, 3.17 ERA) can certainly deliver the goods from the mound. Since becoming a part of Kansas City’s starting rotation in mid-May, the 27-year-old lefty has a solid ERA of 3.17 across seven starts. However, Duffy’s last outing was a rough one. He gave up three homers in just five innings of work in a 10-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers last Thursday, which was also the only other losing effort from the Royals’ aforementioned 10-game stretch.
Then again, Duffy must be solar-powered by nature, as his stellar 0.44 ERA in day games is tops in the majors. Furthermore, the California native has thrown 68.8 percent of his pitches for strikes this season, trailing only Clayton Kershaw and the Mets’ own Noah Syndegaard for the best strike percentage this year (both Kershaw and Syndergaard are currently tied at 69 percent).
It’s also a matter of the Royals’ batters finding their form on offense again. Look for rookie second baseman Whit Merrifield to take charge from the leadoff spot in his team’s batting order once more. Merrifield just had his eight-game hit streak – with nine runs, eight RBIs and a pair of homers – snapped after going 0-for-4 in Tuesday’s loss.
Betting on the New York Mets (-200)
The 2-1 victory over the Royals could not have come at a better time for the New York Mets (37-32). That win snapped the club’s three-game skid thanks to its outstanding bullpen that had to overcome an early exit from Tuesday’s starter in Bartolo Colon due to injury.
Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes launched a solo homer in that contest to give the New York a two-run edge that the team would not relinquish. Cespedes now has two home runs and four runs batted-in in the last five games, and remains his team’s best offensive weapon, leading all Mets batters in nearly every major hitting statistic this season (batting average, home runs, RBIs and on-base percentage).
However, there’s not much else firepower outside of Cespedes, as the Mets are still rather horrendous on offense when it comes to runs (28th in the entire league), batting average (29th) and OBP (25th).
That means standout starter Noah Syndergaard (7-2, 1.91 ERA) must lift his team with his godlike cannon for an arm once more. He’s had one extra day of rest entering Wednesday’s contest, and is fresh off a one-run, 11-strikeout outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 15, where he was also two batters shy of sealing his first complete game of the year.
And if you would recall, Syndergaard’s first win of the season came against the Royals – a 2-0 victory that had him throw six scoreless innings on just three hits and a whopping nine K’s. With the offense continuing to sputter, it’s up to Thor’s might to power his team to victory and get a positive run going before the All-Star break.
Writer’s Prediction
We get another stunning pitching duel on our hands as the Royals (+170) squeak out a tight, low-scoring win on the road, 2-0.
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