The third game of the series between the Mets and Braves gets underway on Wednesday night at Citi Field. Below, I break down my prediction and pick.
Clay Holmes is scheduled to pitch for New York, while Didier Fuentes will take the mound for Atlanta.
Mets vs. Braves prediction, preview
Clay Holmes is in the midst of his first season as a full-time starting pitcher. After spending most of his career in the bullpen, it has largely been a success, as Holmes has a 3.05 ERA heading into tonight’s start. He has only given up more than three earned runs in two of his 15 starts this season, and has never given up more than four.
That being said, his most recent start came against the Braves, and it wasn’t his best outing. Holmes lasted only 4.2 innings and gave up three runs. He really struggled with his control in that game, walking six batters in a short stint. Holmes will hope to re-find his form at Citi Field, where he is allowing an opponent batting average of just .200 this season.
Didier Fuentes is making just his second career MLB start in this game. The 20-year-old was called up last week and thrown into the rotation against the Marlins. For a first career start at such a young age, it was a solid effort from Fuentes. However, a three-run home run derailed what was a decent outing. Fuentes ended up going five innings and giving up four runs. Fuentes struck out just three batters, but he only walked one. That demonstrates solid control for such an inexperienced pitcher.
However, while the Mets have been struggling in recent weeks, their lineup has much more dangerous bats than Miami does. Fuentes will have to face high-level bats like Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso for the first time in his life. It will be a real test to see if the youngster can hold up against such competition.
Mets vs. Braves pick, best bet
The Mets have been in a massive slump over the past several weeks. They have sustained injuries to their pitching staff, the bullpen arms that were so steady early in the season have fallen off and the bats aren’t as consistent as they once were. This is a spot where they really need to find a way to win. After getting swept in Atlanta and losing a series in Philadelphia, they’ve dropped the first two games of this series as well. Against such an inexperienced pitcher, the Mets need to get their bats going and use this as a jumping off point to get their season back on track.
Juan Soto has been one of the steadier bats for the Mets through this tough stretch. Over the last 15 days, Soto is batting .298 with a 1.154 OPS. That includes six home runs, 12 RBI and 10 runs scored. I am betting on him to register at least one hit, run or RBI as part of my same-game parlay for Wednesday night’s game. Soto has been walked so much this season that rather than bet on him to get a hit, I am betting on him to get a hit, score a run or register an RBI. I am also betting on Ronald Acuña Jr. to register a hit in this game. He has been on an absolute tear in recent weeks. Over the last 15 days, he is batting .489 with a 1.426 OPS. He is simply unstoppable at the plate at the moment, and should register at least a base hit in this game.
