The 14-9 Red Sox send veteran right-hander Garrett Richards (0-2, 6.48) to the mound. The 9-8 Mets counter with former Red Sox draftee, lefty David Peterson (1-2, 6.75).
Red Sox Rolling Along
The Red Sox are 6-1 on the road this season as they start a new road trip in New York on Tuesday. Boston leads the American League in batting average (.276), slugging percentage (.455), runs per game (5.2), total bases (351), and doubles (54).
They have hit 26 home runs, led by seven from J.D. Martinez and six from Rafael Devers. Xander Bogaerts is batting .366 with eight doubles and 12 RBI, while Alex Verdugo is batting .325 with 10 extra-base hits and 13 RBI.
Richards was roughed up by the Blue Jays in his last outing and didn’t help himself with six walks. Overall he gave up four runs over 4 ⅔ innings and had a season-low two strikeouts.
He has never faced the Mets in his 11-year career. Richards has faced Francisco Lindor and Kevin Pillar with no hits allowed in two at-bats against each Mets hitter.
Mets Looking for Offense
The top three Mets starting pitchers are 7-3 on the season, and each has an ERA under 2.25. The other five starts, though, have been an issue as Peterson and Joey Lucchesi both have ERA’s of 6.75 and losing records.
The Mets offense is averaging 3.1 runs per game with only 14 home runs. Pete Alonso has five of the home runs to go with a .267 average. J.D. Davis leads the league with a .414 batting average, and Brandon Nimmo is batting .370. Newcomer Francisco Lindo is struggling with a .210 average and just one home run to go with three RBI.
Peterson was drafted by the Red Sox in 2014 out of high school but decided to pitch in college instead. He made his MLB debut for the Mets at Fenway Park on July 28, 2020, and beat the Red Sox. There are four Red Sox on the roster who faced Peterson that day: Bogaerts (0-for-3), Devers (1-for-3), Martinez (0-for-3), and Kevin Plawecki (2-for-2).
Peterson has struggled this season, allowing three homers and 10 earned runs over 13 ⅓ innings. Last time out, he allowed six runs on four hits and two walks over 3 ⅓ innings in a loss at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Betting Analysis
The Mets are -143 at home in the series opener, with the Red Sox at +125. The Mets are -1.5 on the run line, and the total is 8.5 runs.
The pitching matchup suggests this one could be high-scoring, even with the Mets struggling to score consistently. If Richards and Peterson can’t throw strikes, both teams can go to well-rested bullpens after a Monday offday. Look for the Red Sox to come out swinging and keep the pressure on Peterson and the Mets.
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