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There isn't a more fitting first Sunday Night Baseball game of the season than a rematch of the 2015 World Series. In fact, the same two pitchers who started the decisive Game 5 at Citi Field will be on the bump on Sunday for Game 1 of the season as the New York Mets take on the Kansas City Royals.
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PITCHING MATCHUP
No one can dog Matt Harvey for the way he pitched his last game of the year. He probably shouldn't have been thrown to the wolves for the ninth inning against the Royals, and had Terry Collins yanked him for Jeurys Familia, that series was probably going back to Kauffman Stadium instead of ending right then and there.
Harvey took a lot of grief in the media last year for some of his antics over his innings limit and showing up to practice late during the playoffs, but the man can pitch. He went 13-8 last year with a 2.71 ERA, and his 188 strikeouts versus 37 walks might be a ratio which only improves as time goes on this year. Live bettors should be aware of that and be ready to back the Dark Knight if he starts rolling like he did in Game 5 of the Fall Classic.
Edinson Volquez does things that drive live bettors batty. He has walked at least 70 batters in each of the last four seasons, and his WHIP of 1.31 would've been a heck of a lot worse had batters gotten on after putting the ball in play at a more reasonable rate.
That said, the Volq Man has done the job for the most part these last two seasons, posting a 3.55 ERA last year and a 3.04 ERA the year prior. He didn't win Game 5, but it wouldn't have been his fault had that game been lost, knowing that he didn't get a lick of run support throughout.
ADVANCED STATS
The Mets don't have the best lineup in the world, but live bettors should give them some credit. They were able to eke out runs when they needed to for the most part in the playoffs, and some of that was probably attributed to much due good fortune.
New York only had a team BABIP of .287 last year, the third worst mark in the majors. Some of that was due to a lack of speed, something which will continue to be a problem this year, but with the way Volquez allows runners onboard and contact, the Mets could end up in for a nice day in this one if their luck improves.
TALKING BULLPENS
Wade Davis finished out the World Series without a hitch last year, but we'll be interested to see how he reacts to being a closer now on Opening Day for the first time in his career. He's been playing second fiddle to Greg Holland for a while, but with Holland out of the way, this job is Davis' to lose.
In three games against the Mets last year in the playoffs, Davis allowed just three hits over four innings without walking a batter. He also struck out eight men, including fanning the side twice. The latter of those times came in the decisive moment of the World Series in the 12th inning at Citi Field.
The Mets haven't been great clutch hitters, but Davis' stuff makes a lot of guys look bad. Live bettors should be confident in saying that this game is over if the Royals have a lead going into the ninth.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The duel between the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals will start at 8:37 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at Kauffman Stadium. The matchup will be televised nationally on ESPN.
