MLB Betting – Yanks Futures Try to Spoil Mets’ Present

New York Mets (-120, 8.5 o/u) at New York Yankees (+100)

The New York Yankees (53-53, 29-22 Home) appear to have thrown in the towel on their 2016 season, with a massive deadline fire sale. But just because they’re looking towards the future it doesn’t mean they can’t make the present difficult for their cross-town rivals. The New York Mets (55-51, 26-25 Away) are ripe for the picking, as the Subway Series shifts to Yankee Stadium tonight (7:00 PM Eastern).

The teams split the first pair of games at Citi Field, after the Mets rebounded with a 7-1 win last night: it was just their third win in the last nine games. They are now 7.5 games back of Washington in the fight for the top of the NL East, meaning they need to capitalize on a favorable matchup tonight.

That matchup is favorable because the Yankees traded four key players over the weekend: sending away Carlos Beltran, relief pitchers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller and starting pitcher Ivan Nova for prospects. The pinstripes now boast the top farm system in baseball, but that likely won’t translate to many wins down the stretch.

Tonight, the Yankees send right-hander Chad Green to the mound, as the 25-year-old rookie continues to try and prove he’s a part of the future. Green has split time as a reliever and starter, making seven total appearances this season with 1-2 record and 4.56 ERA. His only victory came on July 3, when he pitched six innings, allowing three hits and one run against the San Diego Padres. The was also Green’s longest outing of the year, meaning the Yankees bullpen should see a lot of work tonight.

Manager Joe Girardi is also planning on bringing triple-A catcher Gary Sanchez to the bigs, and he should have some playing time tonight. Sanchez will likely just DH, but it will certainly give Yankee fans a glimpse of the future.

The Mets counter with left-hander Steven Matz, who has an 8-7 record and a 3.35 ERA on the year, but has dropped four of his last five starts. It’s hardly all Matz’s fault though, as the Mets have failed to provide adequate run support in most of his outings.

Against a Yankees team ready to throw the season away, the Mets can’t afford another loss in the series. Matz is a better pitcher than his stats say and should get the win tonight, against some inexperience Yankee bats.

Pick: Mets (-120).

(Photo Credit: Arturo Pardavila III (Flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/])