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New York Mets vs. Houston Astros Preview: Two of the league's best square off in Queens
The New York Mets will host the Houston Astros in the first game of their series tonight. The two teams met a week ago in other quick two-game series that saw the Astros win both games pretty convincingly.
The Mets have been one of the best home teams in the MLB, with a record of 24-10 in Queens. The Astros have been one of the best road teams in the league, with a 25-16 record away from their home ballpark. Tonight's matchup seems to be very even, and we have a side we're riding with. Let's get into the preview!
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Below, you will find a brief preview of each team followed by a prediction for the game.
New York Mets Preview:
"The sign says it all. #VoteMets" - Mets
The Mets have gotten off to one of their best starts in recent years. Sitting at 47-27, the New York Mets find themselves atop the National League. Tonight, they will face off against one of the best teams in the American League. The Mets will send Carlos Carrasco to the mound to try to slow down the Houston offense.
Carrasco has benefitted from run support from the Mets' offense. He is 8-3 with an ERA of 4.42 and a WHIP of 1.29 so far this season. His last start came against this Houston offense and he struggled mightily in that game. Carrasco gave up five earned runs in less than three innings of work, so the Astros have had recent success.
The Mets offense is led by Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor. New York will look to them to score some runs off the impressive Houston pitching staff. The key to victory for the Mets is to get a quality start out of Carlos Carrasco, because they can't afford to get into an offensive shootout.
Houston Astros Preview:
"King of New York" - Astros
So far, the Houston Astros' pitching staff and bullpen both rank in the top five in the MLB in terms of ERA. They will send one of their best pitchers to the mound tonight in the form of left-hander Framber Valdez. He will be tasked with slowing down the New York Mets offense that ranks in the top five in the MLB.
Houston's offense has been bolstered by Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, and Yordan Alvarez. These three hitters have provided a lot of runs, and will be asked to continue that tonight. Although the offense hasn't performed up to their expectations, they do have a great matchup against a familiar pitcher.
The key to victory for the Astros is to produce runs early. If they can make Carrasco's start short, then they will be in a great position to pull out a win.
Pick/Prediction: Houston Astros ML (-120)
Framber Valdez has performed better than Carlos Carrasco as of late. The Mets perform worse against lefties. The Astros perform better against right-handers. We're going to ride with the Astros to win this ball game.
