MLB Betting: Cash in With This MLB Road Favorite for Tuesday

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies had their game rained out on Monday, so they will play a doubleheader on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

And the Mets shuffled their pitching rotation around a little.

Top Bookies for MLB Betting

David Peterson, the guy whose start was washed away by the rain, will move back to Wednesday, while Luis Rojas will go with Marcus Stroman in the nightcap on Tuesday, with Taijuan Walker pitching on the front end (4:10PM ET).

We’ll concern ourselves with the second game on Tuesday (7:10PM ET), where we will cash a ticket at HRWager.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets (Game 2)

Phillies vs. Mets Predictions

When: 7:10 PM ET

MLB Betting Odds

Money Line: Phillies -128 / Mets +108

Total: Over 7.5 Runs -105 / Under 7.5 Runs -115

Analyzing the Best MLB Handicappers

Stroman, the local kid who was acquired by the Mets in 2019 and sat out all of the 2020 season, started against the Miami Marlins on Sunday, but that game was quickly stopped after only seven minutes and then suspended after a 130-minute rain delay.

Stroman had been very upset that he was going to have to wait five more days before pitching again, but I guess fate intervened. The first game of the Phillies series was postponed, and he decided to have a bullpen session on Monday and felt good about it.

So presumably he’ll enter this one in good spirits, and Rojas is happy that he has made himself available.

You can understand why Stroman didn’t want his pitching routine upset. After sitting idle all of last season, he had a nice spring training, walking just two batters in 18 innings, and then had an outstanding start against the Phillies on April 6, giving up three hits in six innings, with Philadelphia’s only run coming on a homer by Did Gregorius.

In that game his opponent was Chase Anderson. But this time it’s Aaron Nola, the staff ace who was seventh in the National League CY Young voting last year. Nola pitched against the Mets on April 7, going four innings and allowing eight batters to reach base, although his team won 8-2. Nola threw 92 pitches in the game.

Expert MLB Picks for Free

A closer look at that game will give you an idea of what New York’s problem has been this season. They had eleven hits and draw three walks, yet only two runs crossed the plate. So far, the Mets have not been able to capitalize on having men in scoring position, batting only.146 in those situations.

And that is an inviting sight for a Philadelphia bullpen that, while not yet achieving “shutdown” status, has improved by leaps and bounds over last year’s performance – or non-performance, if you will. Last season the ‘pen had a monstrous ERA of 7.06, and even more significantly perhaps, they allowed opposing teams an OPS of .946, which was the second highest in the history of baseball.

This season that OPS figure has been cut all the way down to .615, and the relievers have received credit for five of this team’s first six wins. The opposition is hitting just .188 against the Phils’ bullpen.

Between them and Nola and the Mets’ inability to get their bats uncorked in critical situations, that should be enough in the nightcap.

The Play: PHILADELPHIA -128