Well, it was fun while it lasted. The New York Mets gave fans a small slice of hope by sitting atop the NL East just a few weeks ago, but true to their style over the last few years they faded. They dropped 14 of 19 games before salvaging the finale of a three-game set with the Giants on Wednesday. They face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a four-game set starting Thursday. Just last week the Dodgers added to the Mets’ misery with a three-game sweep outscoring NY 22-10. On Saturday the Dodgers run Max Scherzer to the bump where he’ll be opposed by former Dodger Rich Hill.
First pitch for this NL matchup between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 21, 2021 from Dodger Stadium. The matchup will air live on FS1. Bet on MLB odds and player props at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
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Odds Analysis
It’s been a nightmarish few weeks for the Mets, who did little right in a spin that saw them relinquish to top spot in their division. Late last month they were leading the NL East by four games then the roof caved in. They proceeded to go 5-14 over the next few weeks falling four games off the pace. They ended a five-game slide by knocking off the Giants on Wednesday getting a run in the ninth to tie it and five in the 10th to win 6-2. That turned out to be their second-highest run total in any of the previous 20 games, so it’s clear to see the offense has been suffering. The Dodgers meanwhile are trending the other direction looking a lot like the World Series champ they are favored to be. They finished off their second straight three-game sweep with a 9-0 decision over the Pirates on Wednesday for their 10th win in 11 games. They averaged over six runs per game during winning streak and lead the majors with a +204 run differential. The Dodgers are up nearly $800 over their last nine games offsetting their season money that has them $583 in the red.
Probable Pitchers
Rich Hill: Hill looks for his first win since joining the Mets last month. He’s pitched in five games starting four with a 4.98 ERA in 21.2 innings. He hasn’t pitched past the fifth inning in any of his outings and is coming off a less than stellar performance against the Giants when he was yanked in the fourth after giving up six hits and two runs. It was a move forced by the team’s lack of offense, according to manager Luis Rojas. Hill had a decent run in Tampa before the move going 6-4 with a 3.87 ERA over 95.1 innings of 19 starts. He should be excited to return to LA where he enjoyed some of his finest seasons. He won a career-best 12 games with the Dodgers in 2017 and won 30 games in parts of four seasons. His successful stint with the club makes Dodger Stadium Hill’s winningest ballpark. He owns a 16-11 mark with a 2.75 ERA over nearly 200 innings. Surprisingly during his 17 year career he’s faced the Dodgers just once tossing six shutout innings against them.
Max Scherzer: Pitching in the NL East with Washington for so many years has Scherzer quite familiar with the Mets. He can’t even get away from them when traded to a team outside the division. Scherzer makes his second straight start against the Mets and fourth overall for LA since the blockbuster deadline deal. He tossed six innings of four-hit ball last week allowing two runs with seven strikeouts in LA’s 14-4 win. Scherzer is 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA with the Dodgers after going 8-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 111 innings for the Nats. It doesn’t look as though he’s lost anything recording 170 strikeouts over 127.1 innings between the teams. All but one of Scherzer’s 25 appearances against the Mets have been starts, and who can forget the no-hitter he tossed against them in 2015, his second career no-no.
Mets at Dodgers Prediction
It’s hard to slow the Dodgers down when they’re on a roll. And they’re rolling right now scoring a lot of runs and winning a lot of ball games. It’s hard enough to beat Scherzer, but when the Dodgers flash the offense with him on the bump it’s nearly impossible. LA has scored 26 runs in his three starts and Max hasn’t lost a game since late May. He’s 6-0 since then and I don’t see the Mets getting untracked against him.
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