The Padres and Mets prepare to kick off their playoff runs with a Friday night matchup. The Padres were able to earn the No. 2 Wild Card spot in the NL. Their reward? They get to face off with a 101-win Mets team.
Wild Card Series
New York narrowly lost the NL East as the Braves stormed back in the division. As a result, New York has to play in the Wild Card series.
Nevertheless, they are certainly talented enough to get through and make a playoff run. This project to be a competitive series in New York.
The first pitch is scheduled for 8:07 PM EST on Friday, October 7th, at Citi Field in New York. Let’s take a look at the Padres vs Mets betting analysis and MLB picks today in Game 1.
Teams Previous Scoreboards
The Mets closed out their season by winning three consecutive games against the Nationals. However, they had previously been swept by the Braves, which ultimately cost them the division.
Had they won just one of those three games against Atlanta, the Mets very well may have won the division.
NL West
San Diego finished the 2022 season with a different mindset. They had no chance of catching the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, so their main focus was clinching an NL Wild Card spot. The Padres finished the year by winning three of their final five games.
Let’s take a closer look at the Padres vs Mets analysis before officially betting on MLB.
Padres vs. Mets Matchup Information
- Time: 8:07 PM (ET)
- Venue: Citi Field
- How to Watch: ESPN
San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets Betting Betting Analysis
The Mets are the clear favorites in Game 1 at home. New York enjoyed a very impressive regular season and fully expected to take care of business. This is certainly one of those MLB matchups where the betting stats tell us all we need to know.
Mets Performance Recap
New York finished the year with an 87-75 against the run line record. Meanwhile, San Diego was just 73-89 against the run line in 2022. The Padres’ lackluster run line mark was fifth worst in MLB.
The Mets were a respectable 41-40 against the run line when playing at home. Additionally, they trailed only the Dodgers for best against the run line record as a favorite with a mark of 66-59.
Padres Performance Recap
The Padres were able to post a solid 44-37 against the run line on the road and 29-19 against the run line as an underdog.
Although San Diego struggled from a betting perspective overall, there is reason to believe an upset is possible.
San Diego Padres
The Padres wanted to compete with the Dodgers in 2022. Instead, they finished 20-plus games behind LA in the division standings. But they can forget about that with a deep playoff run.
But it begins with taking down this talented Mets team.
Padres’ Offense
San Diego’s offense labored at times down the stretch despite acquiring Juan Soto and Josh Bell ahead of the trade deadline. Both players never really got it going at the plate in San Diego.
The Padres ended up finishing 15th in team batting average, eighth in OBP, 22nd in slugging percentage, 13th in runs scored, and 21st in home runs.
Their pitching kept them afloat when the offense failed to score runs. SD ended the year ranked ninth in WHIP and 11th in ERA.
Yu Darvish as Starter
San Diego will hand the ball to Yu Darvish for Game 1 of this series. Darvish posted a quality 3.10 ERA with 197 strikeouts and a 16-8 win-loss record.
He didn’t receive much attention in 2022, but the right-hander enjoyed a very respectable campaign. Darvish will look to contain New York’s lineup in Game 1.
New York Mets
The Mets led the NL East for most of the season before losing control of the division at the very end of the year. They are hungry and want their revenge on the Braves. But first, they need to power past San Diego.
The Mets played a quality brand of baseball against the Nationals to close out the season. Their sweep against the Braves seemed to have lit a fire under the team which could lead to a strong performance against the Padres.
Mets’ Lineup
The Mets’ lineup may be able to cause some havoc against Darvish, as they ranked second in batting average, second in OBP, eighth in slugging percentage, fifth in runs scored, and 15th in home runs in 2022. Pitching-wise, they were seventh in ERA and sixth in WHIP.
Mets’ Starting Pitchers
The Mets are rolling with Max Scherzer in Game 1. Scherzer pitched to the tune of a 2.29 ERA while striking out 173 strikeouts to go along with an 11-5 record. Despite dealing with injuries, the right-hander had a spectacular season.
It was recently reported that New York may pitch Chris Bassitt instead of Jacob deGrom in Game 2 should they win on Friday in Game 1. This is obviously a risky strategy, but that will be something to keep in mind moving forward.
But all bettors need to know for Game 1 is Max Scherzer is looking to lead the Mets to a big home victory.
San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets Betting Betting Preview
After reviewing the Padres vs Mets betting analysis, which team should you place your money on?
Both the Mets and Padres have no shortage of talent. But the idea of betting against Max Scherzer is a risky one.
His playoff experience and bulldog mentality will provide the Mets with enough confidence to get the job done on Friday.
Padres vs. Mets Betting Betting Prediction
Go ahead and take the New York Mets -1.5 in this game.
MLB Pick: Mets -1.5 (+160)
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.