New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies Prediction, Picks and Preview – April 18, 2016

Just a few days ago, the Philadelphia Phillies managed to win their first three-game series against the New York Mets this season, 2-1. Now the Phillies will have the chance to prove that that was no fluke when they play host to the Mets this time around.

The first meeting of this three-game set at Citizens Bank Park will commence tonight. Who will deliver the first blow? Read on below for a preview of this NL East showdown.

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New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies Betting Preview

Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When: Monday, April 18, 2016, 7:05 PM ET

Line: New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies– view all MLB lines

TV Broadcast(s): CSP, SNY

Betting on the New York Mets (5-6)

There’s no doubt about it: Noah Syndergaard is the New York Mets’ best starter thus far this season. And more importantly, it’s safe to say that he’s in for another electric outing when he takes the mound in this series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Syndergaard is 1-0 and owns a 0.69 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP and .208 opponents’ batting average across two starts. He’s also compiled a total of 23 strikeouts, which is among the highest tallies in the major right now, during that brief stretch.

Furthermore, the 23-year-old righty heads into this game looking to continue his success against Philadelphia. Across two career starts in this matchup, Syndergaard has given up just two earned runs and has registered a total of 15 K’s in 12.1 innings. New York ended up winning both of those games.

Moving on to the offense, expect the tandem of Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto to light up the plate. Both have been the Mets’ most reliable batters this season.

Cespedes is batting .286 and currently leads the team in homers (3), RBIs (9) and hits (12). Conforto, meanwhile, boasts a .313 batting average and a career triple-slash line of .333/.380/.644 against Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff.

New York is 4-1 in Syndergaard’s last five road starts.

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Betting on the Philadelphia Phillies (6-7)

Speaking of Jerad Eickhoff (1-1, 1.50 ERA), he enters this game fresh off a sensational performance in his last start against San Diego last week. In that game, Eickhoff struck out nine batters across seven scoreless innings to eventually allow the Philadelphia Phillies, who started the year 0-4, to notch their sixth win of the season. That victory also marked their fifth victory over the previous eight games.

Moreover, Eickhoff holds a pretty solid track record against the New York Mets. He’s gone 1-3 along with a 2.88 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and a .200 opponents’ batting average through four career starts in this matchup.

As for the offense, the onus is on Ryan Howard and Odubel Herrera to provide some much-needed run support for the Phillies, who have only scored four runs over their past three outings.

Howard is just batting .189, but marches into this game with team-highs of four homers and seven RBIs this season. Herrera, meanwhile, has performed really well at home, as he owns a batting average of .375. However, both are just a combined 1-for-11 against the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard.

Philadelphia is 3-2 in its last five games at Citizens Bank Park.

Writer’s Prediction

New York wins, 4-0.