The Friday night MLB schedule brings us 13 games to consider for our viewing and handicapping pleasure. There’s plenty of different ways we can go for this evening’s three-game parlay ticket, but the games we’ll be zeroing in on look like the best of the bunch.
First up is a meeting of National League East rivals in New York. The Philadelphia Phillies will spend the weekend on the road for three with the Mets. These two squads have already hooked up 10 times this year with the visitors holding a 7-3 edge.
The second game on our ticket takes us down to Houston for a game between a pair of American League West squads. The Los Angeles Angeles will visit the Astros for the opener of a three-game set. Felix Pena heads to the hill for Los Angeles, while Justin Verlander will be on the mound for the hosts.
The final game we’ll be focusing on is a potential fireworks show in Minnesota. The Texas Rangers hit the road for the first of a three-game weekend series with the Twins. The benchmark for total runs has been set at 10.5 for this meeting of two high-powered offenses.
It shapes up to be a fun night on the diamond, and we have three intriguing contests to look forward to. Let’s take a look at all of them in full detail, starting with the battle in the Big Apple.
*Betting odds provided by: Sportsbetting.ag
Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets, 7:10 PM EST, SNY
Phillies vs. Mets Pick:
The Phillies spent the early part of the week in Atlanta for a series with the Braves. They took the opener by a score of 2-0 but fell in the final two by a combined 21-8. The Mets were home splitting a quick two-game set with the crosstown rival New York Yankees.
The Matchup
| REC | STRE | L10 | STD | RS | RA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 45-42 | L2 | 6-4 | 3-NL East | 422 | 429 |
| NY Mets | 39-48 | L1 | 2-8 | 4-NL East | 409 | 446 |
Philadelphia closes out a nine-game road trip with this series. They’re 2-4 thus far and check in at 18-25 on the road for the year. The Mets are wrapping up a homestand for which they have gone 2-3 so far. The club is 22-17 in home games this season.
The Bats
| HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | RSL5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 109 | 401 | .244 | .324 | .420 | 29 |
| NY Mets | 123 | 398 | .255 | .327 | .432 | 19 |
The two offenses are close overall, but the Mets have the edge when it comes to the long ball. Cesar Hernandez is batting .280 to lead the Phillies. Rhys Hoskins leads with 19 homers, while Bryce Harper is tops with 61 ribbies. For New York, Jeff McNeil is batting .349 to lead the way. Pete Alonso is the team leader with 28 HRs and 64 RBIs.
Starting Pitchers
| W-L | IP | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vince Velasquez-R | 2-5 | 51.1 | 4.73 | 1.42 | 10.52 | .835 |
| Jacob deGrom-R | 2-5 | 51.1 | 4.73 | 1.42 | 10.52 | .835 |
Velasquez has 19 total appearances on the year with nine starts. For his last outing, he gave up four earned runs over 4.1 innings in a loss to the Miami Marlins. Over his last eight starts, deGrom has shown a good amount of consistency. He has 17 starts under his belt for the year. Last time out, he gave up three earned runs over six innings in a loss to the Braves.
The Bullpens
| ERA | SV | IP | OPS | WHIP | K/9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 4.90 | 23 | 286.2 | .819 | 1.49 | 9.26 |
| NY Mets | 4.90 | 23 | 286.2 | .819 | 1.49 | 9.26 |
Neither bullpen is great, but Phillies hurlers are doing a better job in keeping runs off the board. Velazquez has thrown 9.1 innings over his last two outings after a slew of brief appearances. For his last six outings, deGrom has pitched six innings or more.
The Verdict
The Mets are really struggling of late, and the Phillies have won the last five games in a row over their rivals to boot. However, deGrom is simply more reliable than Velazquez and has better stuff. We’ll take the Mets for game one on tonight’s ticket.
Los Angeles Angels vs. Houston Astros, 8:10 PM EST, ATSW
Angels vs. Astros Pick:
The Angels were on the road to begin the week taking two of three over the Rangers, dropping the finale by a score of 9-3. The Astros are riding a five-game winning streak heading into tonight’s game, a span which includes a two-game road sweep over the Colorado Rockies.
The Matchup
| REC | STRE | L10 | STD | RS | RA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA Angels | 44-44 | L1 | 6-4 | 4-AL West | 442 | 441 |
| Houston | 55-32 | W5 | 7-3 | 1-AL West | 439 | 352 |
Los Angeles closes out a six-game road trip with this series heading into the All-Star break. The team is 22-23 in away games for the year. Houston has righted the ship since suffering through a seven-game losing streak in the middle of June. The club returns home tonight where they are a stellar 31-13 for the season to date.
The Bats
| HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | RSL5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA Angels | 125 | 422 | .259 | .336 | .435 | 18 |
| Houston | 137 | 429 | .267 | .342 | .469 | 27 |
The two offenses aren’t that far apart, but the advantage goes to the Astros. Tommy La Stella is batting .300 to lead the Angels. Mike Trout is tops on the team with 25 homers and 62 ribbies. Michael Brantley is the team leader for the Astros with a .310 batting average. Alex Bregman leads the way with 23 HRs and 55 RBIs.
Starting Pitchers
| W-L | IP | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felix Pena-R | 5-2 | 70.1 | 4.73 | 1.22 | 9.60 | .728 |
| Justin Verlander-R | 10-3 | 119.2 | 2.86 | 0.79 | 11.06 | .585 |
Pena has 16 total appearances and four starts under his belt for the year. For his last outing, he gave up three earned runs over five innings in a no-decision versus the Oakland Athletics. Verlander is in the midst of another solid campaign, but opponents have gotten to him for 17 total earned runs over his last five games. Last time out, he gave up four over five innings in a no-decision versus the Seattle Mariners.
The Bullpens
| ERA | SV | IP | OPS | WHIP | K/9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA Angels | 4.45 | 20 | 396.2 | .751 | 1.37 | 9.55 |
| Houston | 3.88 | 23 | 287.2 | .683 | 1.19 | 9.54 |
The Astros have a Top 10 bullpen. The Angels do not, but Los Angeles arms are seeing lots of work. Pena has lasted four innings or more for his last three games. Verlander has pitched five innings or more for 17 of his 18 starts this season.
The Verdict
The Astros are rolling with a perfect 5-0 mark over their last five games, while the Angels are 2-3 over the same span. Verlander will be on the mound tonight, and Houston is stout at home. We’re going with the Astros for the second game on tonight’s ticket.
Texas Rangers vs. Minnesota Twins, 8:10 PM EST, FSN
Rangers vs. Twins Pick:
The Rangers were home earlier this week losing two of three to the Angels, winning the final contest by a score of 9-3. The Twins were out in Oakland for a three-game set with the Athletics. They took the middle game by a score of 4-3 in 12 innings, but dropped the other two tilts.
The Matchup
| REC | STRE | L10 | STD | RS | RA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 47-40 | W1 | 6-4 | 3-AL West | 471 | 438 |
| Minnesota | 54-32 | L1 | 4-6 | 1-AL Central | 486 | 379 |
After being home to start the week, the Rangers hit the road for three before the break. The team is 18-23 in away games on the year. The Twins return home tonight after a 2-4 road trip. The club is 26-14 in home games this season.
The Bats
| HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | RSL5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 120 | 445 | .254 | .329 | .446 | 19 |
| Minnesota | 161 | 465 | .270 | .335 | .493 | 25 |
Minnesota has a clear advantage at the plate, but Texas is far from a slouch in that department. Elvis Andrus is batting .308 to lead the Rangers. Joey Gallo is tops on the team with 20 homers, while Nomar Mazara leads with 49 ribbies. Jorge Polanco leads the Twins with a .313 BA. Max Kepler is the team leader with 21 HRs, while Eddie Rosario is tops with 60 RBIs.
Starting Pitchers
| W-L | IP | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Sampson-R | 6-5 | 88.2 | 4.16 | 1.36 | 7.41 | .821 |
| Martin Perez-L | 7-3 | 89.0 | 4.15 | 1.36 | 8.29 | .673 |
Sampson has been up and down this year. He has losses in two of his last three games. For his last start, he gave up three earned runs over six innings to take the loss against the Tampa Bay Rays. Perez had a recent stretch in which he gave up four earned runs for three straight starts. He settled down last time with two earned runs over seven innings in a no-decision versus the Rays.
The Bullpens
| ERA | SV | IP | OPS | WHIP | K/9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 4.70 | 21 | 331.1 | .803 | 1.47 | 8.42 |
| Minnesota | 4.26 | 25 | 283.0 | .732 | 1.38 | 9.22 |
The advantage goes to the Twins, but the Rangers pen is seeing more innings of work. Sampson has lasted five innings or more for eight of his last nine starts. Perez has pitched five innings or more for his last four outings.
The Verdict
A projected run total of 10.5 suggests the scoreboard could be lit up for this affair. Twins bats have been a bit more productive over the last five games, and they have the edge on starter and bullpen too. We’re rolling with Minnesota for the final game on tonight’s ticket.
