Mets Phillies Betting – Young Shines In New York Debut
Online betting players know that it’s always an occasion when the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies get together as these National League rivals don’t like each other, and they’ll face off for the first time in 2011 on Tuesday. The Mets will throw Chris Young into the rivalry for the first time, and he’ll come up big against a slow-starting Cole Hamels.
- What: MLB Betting
- When: Tuesday, April 5th, 7:05 PM ET
- Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
- Pick: New York Mets
Why Bet On New York Mets
Chris Young (2-0, 0.90 in 2010) makes his regular-season debut for the Mets after spending five years in San Diego, where he was an All-Star in 2007, but then his career was railroaded by injuries, so this is a risk for the Mets. Young was definitely aided by playing in Petco Park in San Diego, which is notoriously a pitcher’s park, but he has great stuff when he is healthy as Young isn’t a pitcher who is going to overpower you; he’s a crafty hurler who throws you off with his breaking pitches, which makes up for a fastball that wasn’t fast to begin with, but has lost velocity because of shoulder and elbow injuries. Also, his 6’10” height throws some batters off as it seems to take forever for the ball to get to the plate. Young had a decent spring, going 0-0 in 25.1 innings over six starts, posting a 1.78 ERA, but again, the skeptics will point to his injury-plagued past and for good reason. The 31-year-old is 2-2 in five career starts against the Phillies, posting a 4.50 ERA, and three of those outings came in Philadelphia, where he is 1-1 with a 6.60 ERA.
The Mets are starting the season off with injuries, a common theme in 2010. Word is Carlos Beltran will be in the lineup for Opening Day, but we have no idea of whether he’ll last to Tuesday because he played one game in the spring as a designated hitter, and then missed three weeks because of tendinitis in his knee. Jason Bay will be out because of a rib injury, and Johan Santana won’t pitch for at least the first half of the season. At least David Wright looked good this spring, and Jose Reyes could find the form that made him a monster in 2006. Heading into the last year of his contract, Reyes could be the key to the Mets’ MLB betting odds this season.
Why Bet On Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies will give the ball to Cole Hamels (12-11, 3.06 in 2010), and if you have Cole Hamels as the fourth pitcher in your rotation, you’re doing pretty good. Hamels didn’t have a great spring, going 1-2 in seven starts with a 6.67 ERA over 27.0 innings of work, but the most alarming statistic is that he gave up six homers, the most on the team. He has never been a fast starter, going 7-8 in 20 April starts with a 4.11 ERA, and yes, it is the spring, so we will chalk it up to working on some things before the season because we know what Hamels is capable of. The 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP was used to having a lot of pressure on him to carry the rotation, then Cliff Lee came to town. The Phillies shipped out Lee, brought in Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt, then brought Lee back into the fold, so Hamels may be an afterthought for some teams, which plays into his hands. The lefty has struggled against the division rival Mets, going 2-8 in 13 starts with a 3.83 ERA, and he was 7-6 at home last season with a 3.14 ERA.
Chase Utley won’t be in the lineup for a while because of a knee injury, and that is a real blow to the Phillies, who struggled without their second baseman last season, so now Jimmie Rollins has to step up while coming off his own injury-plagued season. Placido Polanco hurt his elbow in the spring, and he could be out of this game as well, and we know closer Brad Lidge will be sitting out as well. The Phillies were decimated by injuries last year, and they can’t afford another season with so many ailing bats. Also, Ryan Howard has to return to his best form.
How The Game Will Play Out
The Phillies will likely be the MLB betting favorites at home, and they’ve won six of their last 10 at Citizens Bank Park against the Mets, and five of those games have gone over the posted total. We’re going to give the edge to the Mets on the road because of Hamels’ propensity for slow starts, while Young knows he has to get out of the gate fast because he doesn’t know how much work he’ll get into the season before the injury bug rears his head. Whenever Young is healthy, he is definitely worth a spot on your fantasy team, and we think he’ll get the better of Hamels in his introduction to the Mets-Phillies rivalry. Go with New York in your sports betting picks.
Mets Phillies Betting Pick: New York Mets
