The San Diego Padres easily defeated the Mets in New York in Game 1 of their National League Wild Card Series, shifting the odds in this series in their favor.
With the new best-of-three format, the Mets, who won 101 games in the regular season, are one loss away from being eliminated from the playoffs.
FanDuel has the Mets at +180 to win this series after the loss, with the Padres priced at -215.
The odds for San Diego to win the World Series went down to +1400, while the Mets are now at +1800, according to DraftKings. The Padres made several moves at the trade deadline in July with the sole purpose of getting to and winning their first World Series.
Padres vs Mets Game 2 Odds
Here are current Game 2 lines from various legal US sportsbooks.
Four Homers by Padres off Scherzer
The Mets had their future Hall of Fame pitcher on the bump for Game 1. But intensity aside, it was not the Mad Max we are accustomed to. The three-time Cy Young Award winner was rocked for not one, not two, not three, but FOUR home runs in a game where he got only 14 outs.
Josh Bell, Trent Grisham, Jurickson Profar, and Manny Machado all reached the seats at Citi Field as the Padres pummeled the Mets ace on their way to a convincing 7-1 victory.
“I didn’t have good fastball movement,” Scherzer said. “I wasn’t able to command my fastball the way I usually can.”
The Padres need one win to advance to play their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
San Diego Padres Jurickson Profar reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the New York Mets during the fifth inning of Game 1 of a National League wild-card baseball playoff series, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Padres had their own veteran ace, Yu Darvish, who showed that he deserves to be in a circle among the best pitchers of this generation. Darvish mixed his wide pitch repertoire effectively and threw strikes (72 of 101 pitches), while scattering six hits in seven innings. His ability to go that deep was the best gift Darvish gave his teammates, because it means San Diego has everyone available in their bullpen.
Padres vs. Mets Game 2 Pitching Matchup
Blake Snell (8-10, 3.38 ERA) vs. Jacob deGrom (5-4, 3.08 ERA)
The Mets’ season hinges on the right shoulder of Jacob deGrom, who draws the task of cooling off the Padres white-hot bats. Buck Showalter had not officially announced deGrom as his Game 2 starter before this series, reportedly because the Mets skipper was toying with holding his former Cy Young Award winner back if New York took a one-game lead. That strategy has been tossed in the East River.
The Mets will be facing a former Cy Young Award winner too: Ichabod Crane-lookalike Blake Snell. The tall, slender southpaw is finally tossing the ball the way he can after a tough start to his season. On July 1, Snell had a 5.13 ERA and was winless. Since, he’s 8-5 with a 2.57 ERA and a 2.38 FIP. The lefty is averaging 12.4 K’s per nine innings since July 1.
Most importantly perhaps, are the two starts Snell made against the Mets in 2022: four earned runs allowed in nine innings on 11 hits and five walks, with nine strikeouts. But Snell last faced New York in mid-July, and he’s a much more confident pitcher now. He also has an impressive postseason pedigree: 2.83 ERA overall and has never surrendered a run in one Wild Card start.
Jacob deGrom has allowed three runs in each of his last four starts. While in spring training many experts predicted Max Scherzer and deGrom would lead the team to countless victories, it didn’t pan out that way. The Mets are 20-15 in starts by their twin aces this season, and in the last 12 starts by the pair, New York is 5-7. That means the Padres have no worries about winning Game 2. With Snell on their side, San Diego has a real shot to sweep aside the Mets.
Also read: World Series odds reset | Phillies vs. Cardinals Odds | Rays vs. Guardians Odds
Padres vs. Mets Series Game 2 Prediction
A troubling stat: Jacob deGrom has allowed six home runs in his last four starts. Another troubling one: the Padres hit four homers on Friday night. Given the homer-happy win by the Friars, and the fact that deGrom has struggled late in the season (perhaps fatigued after an injury-curtailed year), Mets fans should be concerned at the prospects for a win in Game 2.
It’s win or season over for the M-E-T-S. Any sign of trouble, and Showalter will be forced to pull deGrom. For that reason and deGrom’s recent struggles, bet the Padres on the moneline or runline for Saturday’s second game of the NL Wild Card Series.
Bet the NL Wild Card Series: $1,250 in Bonus from DraftKings
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