MLB Baseball
2012-05-16 - Cincinnati Reds at New York Mets
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
United States: Major League Baseball
Wednesday 16 May 2012 - First Pitch 7:10pm ET
12:10am (British Standard Time)
Preview
One of the surprise teams in the Major Leagues this season is the New York Mets (20-16) who were not expected to be anywhere but towards the basement in the National League East. They will look to continue their solid start as they begin a two game set with the Cincinnati Reds (18-17) at Citi Field which was announced as being the host of the All-Star Game later in the year.
Both teams are coming into this series having split their last one and both have been in variable form over the last week or so.
The New York Mets have really been struggling to get anything effective going at the plate in recent games, socring just 7 runs in their last 3 games after reaching at least 5 runs in 5 consecutive games before that. A lack of scoring runs will not be anything new to Johan Santana who will be going to the mound.
Santana is 1-2 with a 2.92 ERA this season, but he has been supported by a total of 10 runs in 7 starts. However, those runs have come over his last 3 starts so he will be confident they can help him out here while he looks to continue his strong pitching success against Cincinnati in his career.
The pitcher has faced the Reds 6 times in his career and he has a 4-0 record with a 3.16 ERA, while he has won his last three starts against them by giving up 1 run in over 21 innings pitched and only allowing 11 total hits in those games.
Cincinnati themselves have been struggling with their bats anyway, failing to score more than 3 runs in 6 of their last 7 games while they are hitting just 0.186 with runners in scoring positions recently.
It is unlikely that the Reds will get away with a lack of production in this one as they send Mike Leake to the mound, a pitcher that is under pressure to retain his starting spot in the rotation. Leake is 0-5 with a 7.11 ERA so far this season.
His last outing saw him give up 7 runs before being pulled in the 3rd inning against the Washington Nationals. However, Leake can at least point to the fact he is 0-1 with a 2.19 ERA in his two starts against the New York Mets.
Head to Head
This is the first meeting in the 2012 season between the teams, but the New York Mets are 6-3 in the last 9 games in the series between the teams.
The Mets won the last time they entertained Cincinnati at home, but they had lost 4 of their previous 5 home games against the Reds before that.
New York are 11-7 at home this season, Cincinnati are 9-9 on the road.
Prediction
Johan Santana would have a much better record if he had been given more run support this season, but he is pitching well enough to think he may factor into the decision today as the Mets should become the latest team to take advantage of Mike Leake who is clearly lacking some confidence and under pressure to keep his starting rotation.
The last three games has seen the Mets bats called a little, but they had been putting up runs before that and I like them to do the same tonight.
Cincinnati have just been having a hard time getting runs over the bag in their last 7 games and I will have a small interest the Mets can win this on the run line.
The Pick :
New York Mets 5-2 Cincinnati Reds
