The New York Mets and Houston Astros figure to be at the top of the MLB standings when the MLB schedule wraps up in early October. Of course, that has been a common theme as the Astros won last year’s World Series against one of the MLB teams who are rivals of the Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies. But with a full slate of MLB games ahead, there is plenty of reason to like the Mets, even as World Series favorites.
The Mets visit the Astros Tuesday for a Grapefruit League game. Though some players are off to compete in the World Baseball Classic, these teams are still talented enough to have a good game. Here is a breakdown of the odds, an analysis of teams, and Mets vs Astros picks.
New York Mets vs. Houston Astros Odds
New York Mets odds show they are -110 on the moneyline and +1.5 (-190) on the run line. The Astros are -120 on the moneyline and -1.5 (+160) on the run line. The over/under for the game is 10.5 runs with the same -115 odds on either side of that total.
New York Mets vs. Houston Astros Matchup Information
New York Mets vs Houston Astros
Location of the Game: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, FL.
Date and Time: Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 6:05 PM ET.
How to Watch: https://livestreamsports.co/
New York Mets vs. Houston Astros Betting Preview
New York Mets
It was refreshing to hear new Mets owner Steve Cohen share that his greatest desire as an owner is to win championships. It was commentary that other fan bases rallied around because their owners were not set on winning championships, at least not by their actions.
The Mets will be popular among MLB picks to do just that, win the World Series in 2023. They made the decision to let Jacob deGrom to sign elsewhere and pulled in Justin Verlander, who has three Cy Young awards in his career. They also signed Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana.
The Battle for Third Base
The added Omar Narvaez, a more offensive catcher, and Tommy Pham, who will compete for starts in a corner outfield spot and be an important depth piece should the MLB injury report become a factor. But the largest gains may be Brett Baty winning the starting third base role from Luis Guillorme or Eduardo Escobar. Baty showed his powerful bat with a pair of home runs in 38 at-bats last season.
Carrasco will get the ball on Tuesday for the Mets. He allowed a two-run home run plus another hit in two innings of work in his first spring training outing. It is unclear who will follow him once he is lifted from Tuesday’s game, which makes making Mets vs Astros picks a little more difficult.
Houston Astros
It is possible that the Astros take a step back in 2023 after losing Verlander to the Mets. The biggest offseason addition was signing first baseman Jose Abreu to replace the aging Yuli Gurriel. That should give the Houston Astros stats a boost in the power numbers and will beef up the middle of the lineup.
Losing Verlander will sting at the top of the rotation, but the depth is still there. The Astros hope to keep Lance McCullers Jr. healthy to add to a strong rotation with Framber Valdez, Tuesday’s starter, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia, and Cristian Javier.
Age Is Just a Number
Martin Maldonado will turn 37 years old in August but remains a great asset for commanding the pitching staff. A lineup that features Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Jeremy Pena, and Yordan Alvarez alongside Abreu can more than makeup for the offensive sacrifices. They can also set Maldonado up to drive in runs from time to time.
Valdez looked sharp in his first outing of the spring. He got a double play to take care of a leadoff single he allowed, and he also got two strikeouts without allowing another baserunner, MLB player stats show. Like the Mets, it is hard to know how long he will pitch or who will come in behind him.
New York Mets vs. Houston Astros Betting Picks
The World Baseball Classic begins Wednesday, and it is unclear when players are reporting, but it will likely impact the Mets vs Astros picks if scheduled players like Mets’ first baseman Pete Alonso and shortstop Francisco Lindor have already reported. The Astros are sending 14 players to the World Baseball Classic, including Kyle Tucker, Altuve, and Pena.
Even if they are just throwing in short spurts, Valdez probably has the edge over Carrasco. It is just hard to predict what happens after those first few innings, especially with lineups hindered as players are whisked away to compete for their respective countries.
Understanding the Odds
We will take the Mets’ run line at +1.5 (-190) and take the Astros moneyline at -120. Games are typically higher scoring, and there will still be MLB-caliber players remaining in the lineups, but we will take the under 10.5 anyway at -115 odds.
The next few weeks of spring training baseball will be interesting as players are in and out of the lineup due to playing in – and returning from – the World Baseball Classic.
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