Last Updated on April 12, 2016 4:53 pm by Brad Burns
Mets-Marlins features stellar mound matchup
Noah Syndergaard’s early-career mastery of Citi Field has been something to behold, but he’s about to face perhaps his most stern challenge yet.
The Mets and their 23-year-old flamethrower will host Jose Fernandez’s Marlins tonight, with a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch in the Big Apple. Online sports book BetDSI prefers New York as a 1.5-run favorite to rebound from Monday’s 10-3 setback.
If this contest were in South Beach, the odds would most certainly favor Fernandez, who’s virtually unhittable in the Sunshine State. Then again, he rarely suffers a misstep anywhere. Miami’s ace is 1-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 27 strikeouts in four starts against Terry Collins’ club.
On the other side, Syndergaard’s legend seems to grow in equal measure. On the heels of a virtuoso rookie campaign, he opened 2016 with a dominant showing vs. Kansas City, fanning nine and allowing three hits over six scoreless innings in a 2-0 win. The righty’s career figures at home: a 9-2 record and 2.54 ERA in 14 appearances.
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New York (2-4) actually needs a top-form Syndergaard here, too, considering prized lefty Steven Matz’s disastrous outing 24 hours ago. The Marlins (2-3) blitzed the young lefty for seven runs in the second, raising their cumulative average to .299 in the process. Right fielder Giancarlo Stanton got in on the fun by belting his second homer of the season. The slugger loves facing the Mets in general, having ripped nine dingers and 16 RBIs over the past four meetings.
It’s rare that we encounter a must-see pitching pairing in April. That’s exactly what this matchup, entails, though, while setting the stage for many more duels in the future. Go exceedingly low.
TUESDAY MLB FREE PICK: MARLINS/METS UNDER 6 RUNS
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