The Milwaukee Brewers take on the New York Mets in the first game of a three-game series on Monday, June 26. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET from Citi Field. Colin Rea (3-4, 4.88 ERA) will take the mound for the Brewers while Justin Verlander (2-4, 4.50 ERA) looks to help the Mets right the ship after a nightmare weekend in Philly.
New York enters as the -175 moneyline favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Milwaukee coming in at +150. The total is set at 8.5.
Brewers-Mets picks: Monday, June 26
Injury report
Mets
Out: RP Edwin Uceta (ankle/knee)
Brewers
Out: OF Tyrone Taylor (elbow), RP Jake Cousins (elbow), RP Bennett Sousa (shoulder)
Starting pitchers
Colin Rea vs. Justin Verlander
Rea struggled in his last two starts, allowing four earned runs in five innings pitched against the Minnesota Twins and Arizona Diamondbacks. The righty added six strikeouts over those two outings. In his previous 10 innings, he conceded just three earned runs and struck out 13 batters.
Verlander has seen some ups and downs in June. In his latest start, he lasted seven innings against the Astros, conceding four earned runs and recording five strikeouts. This month, he has kept the Yankees to one earned run in six innings and gave up four runs to the Braves in three innings.
Over/Under pick
Both of these pitchers have been letting up a decent amount of runs in their recent starts. While neither offense has been outstanding, I think that they’ll be able to hit enough off of Verlander and Rea to reach the over here.
Pick: Over 8.5
Moneyline pick
The Mets have hit a rough patch recently, dropping six of their last eight games. Verlander has not been what New York had hoped for this season — the Mets have lost four of the last five games he started. While the Mets’ offense is ranked higher than Milwaukee’s, they have also been very inconsistent. I think that the Brewers will be able to grab this first one on the road.
Pick: Brewers