Game: Los Angeles Dodgers @ New York Mets
Time: 7:10 p.m.
Odds: Dodgers -125, Mets +105
Total: 8.5
Both the Mets and Dodgers hit the All-Star break 13 losses shy of the number of defeats they suffered all of last season. To say both teams have underachieved, well, that would be partially true. As the second half of the MLB season begins tonight, the Dodgers are actually in a much better position than the Mets.
In a matchup of former 20-game winners, left-hander Julio Urias (6-5, 4.76 ERA) will take the mound for the Dodgers against right-hander Justin Verlander (3-4, 3.60).
By defeating the visiting Los Angeles Angels to end the first half, the Dodgers swept the two-game series and extended their winning streak to four games. The Mets lost to the host San Diego Padres last Sunday, suffering their second straight setback.
With a record of 51-38, the Dodgers, who set a franchise high with 111 victories last season, are on pace to win less than 100 games for the first time since 2017. That was when Los Angeles lost to the Houston Astros in a seven-game World Series after going 92-71 during the regular season.
The Dodgers won five of their final six games before the break to move into a tie for first place in the NL West with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers are still in good shape to make the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season.
Time is running out for the Mets to demonstrate the same thing. With a 42-48 record going into tonight, New York is seven games back of the San Francisco Giants in the battle for the third wild card. After a miserable June in which they went 7-19 and lost a staggering 14.5 games to the Atlanta Braves in the NL East standings, the Mets started July with six straight victories.
The difficulties New York has encountered this season, however, were highlighted by a pair of losses to the Padres in which they were outscored 9-3 in two games. The Mets are tied for 15th in the majors with a .726 OPS and have scored four runs or fewer in 47 games. Their starting pitchers’ 4.57 ERA, which is tied for the 10th highest in the majors. The Mets went 4-2 against the Diamondbacks and Padres just before the break.
The Dodgers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in Urias’ most recent start on July 6, during which he allowed two runs over six innings. In five games (three starts) against the Mets in his career, he has a 0-0 record and a 5.02 ERA.
Last Friday, when he allowed three runs (two earned) over six innings in the Mets’ 7-5 victory over the Padres, Verlander was not a factor in the decision. In three career regular season starts, Verlander is 3-0 against the Dodgers with a 2.91 ERA. The three-time Cy Young Award winner also made two starts for the Astros against Los Angeles in the 2017 World Series and went 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA.
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