Mets vs Yankees Game 1 Picks and Odds – Aug. 28
By Chris Amberley in MLB Baseball
Updated: March 9, 2021 at 2:12 pm ESTPublished:
- The New York Mets and New York Yankees will play Game 1 of their doubleheader Friday afternoon (Aug. 28th, 4:05 pm EST)
- Michael Wacha (1-2, 6.43 ERA) will start for the Mets, while the Yankees will counter with Jordan Montgomery (2-1, 4.66 ERA)
- Read below for a preview and betting prediction for the game
The New York Yankees are in a world of hurt. Literally. The Bronx Bombers have dropped five straight games, getting outscored by 14 runs in the process, and have lost half of their starting lineup to injury.
Aaron Judge (right calf) had an MRI today, according to Aaron Boone on WFAN. Boone said it is a recurrence of the same injury and that Judge could be headed to the IL.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) August 27, 2020
Aaron Judge is the latest Yankee to be sidelined, leaving the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader with a calf injury, on the same day he returned from the injured list.
New York’s walking wounded will play another twin bill on Friday, this time against the cross-town rival Mets, starting at 4:05 pm EST.
Mets vs Yankees Game 1 Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total at FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Mets | +130 | +1.5 (-174) | Over 7.5 (-122) |
| New York Yankees | -150 | -1.5 (+146) | Under 7.5 (+100) |
Odds taken Aug. 28th.
The Bronx Bombers opened up as a -150 favorite in the MLB Odds, in a game that features a total of 7.5. The Mets were supposed to take on the Miami Marlins on Thursday night, but staged a powerful display instead to protest social injustice.
The Mets took the field, led by Dom Smith and Billy Hamilton. All players then came out of the dugout. Wacha took his hat off. The rest of the players followed. There was a 42 second moment of silence and then the players walked off. A BLM shirt is left on home plate.
Wow.
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) August 27, 2020
Montgomery Needs to be Money
Jordan Montgomery will get the ball for the Yankees, looking for just his second quality start of the season. Like every New York starter not named Gerrit Cole, he’s off to an underwhelming start, failing to make it out the 6th inning in all but one outing so far.
https://twitter.com/BarnHasSpoken/status/1296903952689135623
He’s surrendered nine runs in his last 13.2 innings of work, getting hit hard by both Atlanta and Philadelphia in recent outings. Last time out, he appeared to have things under control against Boston, but was pulled early due to a rain delay.
After a slow start offensively, the Mets have turned it around with the bats. They’ve scored at least five runs in four of six, belting nine homers along the way.
Mets Career Stats vs Montgomery
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Nimmo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Pete Alonso | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Robinson Cano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Dominic Smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Michael Conforto | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| J.D. Davis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Amed Rosario | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Jeff McNeil | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Wilson Ramos | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .333 |
One reason to be optimistic about Montgomery however, is the fact that the Mets have struggled versus lefties this season. Their team average is .35 points lower against southpaws, and their slugging dips from .444 versus righties, to .417.
Battered and Bruised
The Yankees meanwhile, will not only be missing Judge, but Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu as well. That’s arguably the top-four hitters on the roster, and their absence has been a major reason for the Bronx Bombers’ struggles.
Braves sweep the Yankees. Ian Anderson is a future ace. Max Fried is the NL Cy Young. Let’s celebrate
— SportsTalkATL.com (@SportsTalkATL) August 27, 2020
The Yankes scored just two runs on Wednesday, while getting swept in their doubleheader by the Atlanta Braves, and the offense is averaging just 2.4 runs during their losing streak. Sure, the lineup still possesses some dangerous hitters like Luke Voit and Gary Sanchez, but it’s impossible to replace the production of their four missing stars.
Michael Wacha will take the ball for the Mets, fresh off a stint on the IL. The right-hander struggled badly in his previous two starts, allowing nine runs in 9 innings of work. His velocity is down across the board, and his 1.93 HR/9 rate is the highest of his career.
Yankees Career Stats vs Wacha
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Hicks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Luke Voit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Miguel Andujar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Gio Urshela | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Mike Tauchman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Brett Gardner | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 |
| Gary Sanchez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Clint Frazier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Tyler Wade | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Play the Over
Five of the past seven Yankee games have gone under the total, but there should be no shortage of offense in Friday’s contest. Wacha isn’t the same quality starter he once was with the Cards, and he’s not likely to pitch deep into the game given it’s his first start off the IL.
Mets offseason additions:
Jake Marisnick – Injured List
Michael Wacha – 6.00 ERA
Rick Porcello – 13.50 ERA
Dellin Betances – 15.43 ERA— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) August 2, 2020
Montgomery meanwhile, has shown brief flashes of excellence in 2020, but has been mostly inconsistent. The Mets bats are hot right now, and a game total is just 7.5 is too low. The over is 7-5-2 in Yankee home games this season, and 4-0 on the heels of a New York off day.
Pick: Over 7.5 (-122)
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
