Allow me to draw your attention to the upcoming game between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets. The high-energy face-off is set to take place at the Citi Field in Queens, NY. Just a bit of trivia here, this venue is generally friendlier to pitchers than hitters.
While we’re on the subject, let's talk about today's starting pitchers. Reds are putting forth Julian Aguiar with a less than sparkling 6.67 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. He could tame the Mets' batting but the stats suggest otherwise. The Mets, on the other hand, have Luis Severino taking the mound, boasting a better 4.05 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Seems like he has a friendlier pitch.
When it comes to the hitters, Reds' Tyler Stephenson's .330 batting average and Santiago Espinal's .329 shine brightly although their last month's combined home runs are 5, slightly dimmer than one'd hope. The Mets are not short of stars either, Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos have too been kicking dust into opponent’s faces, both coming in hot with about .330 batting averages each, and packing some power with a combined 16 homers in the last month.
History shows the two teams have had a bit of a head-to-head. Just in this month, they played twice with Mets playing sweet music on both occasions. Reds might feel a bit down looking at their recent record of 68 wins against 75 losses. Mets might feel a wee bit mightier with their 78-64 win-loss ratio.
In short, my money - if I were a betting man, which contractually I'm not allowed to be - says the Reds might have a tough time finding a breakthrough here. Might want to place your cheers with the Mets.
Albert’s Prediction: New York Mets by 2