Media by Associated Press – New York Mets’ Pete Alonso takes a breath as he bats during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Monday, June 6, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Two teams headed in opposite directions meet up on national TV Sunday night as the Los Angeles Angels (29-32) host the New York Mets (39-22).
It has been a rough week for the Angels as they fired manager Joe Maddon after a 12-game losing streak while the Mets continue to have the best record in the National League. The rubber game of the three-game series is set for 7:00 p.m. Sunday on ESPN from Angel Stadium in Anaheim.
The Mets will start RHP Taijuan Walker (3-2, 3.28) against Angels LHP Patrick Sandoval (3-1, 2.81). This series is the first meeting between the teams since 2017, when the Mets took two-of-three at home. Overall the series is even 10-10 after the Angels’ 11-6 win on Saturday.
Mets Offense Keeps Raking
The Mets have the best batting average in the Majors at .264. They are 26-19 as the favorites this season and 20-14 on the road. New York is 11-10 against lefties this season, and they have scored at least five runs in five of their last seven games.
Pete Alonso homered on Saturday, his 17th of the season, and he leads the team with 55 RBI. Eduardo Escobar had a double on Saturday after going 2-for-4 on Friday, and he has 15 hits in his last 11 games. Brandon Nimmo had a big series opener with a double, homer, and three RBI on Friday, while Mark Canha also doubled and drove in three.
Starling Marte, who is hitting .277 with 33 RBI, has missed three straight games since leaving Tuesday’s game with quad tightness. Francisco Lindor has nine homers and 45 RBI on the season, while Jeff McNeil is batting .312. Infielder Luis Guillorme had two hits on Saturday and leads the Mets with a .327 batting average.
Walker lost against San Diego on Tuesday, allowing four runs on five hits over six innings. He’s gone at least five innings in six straight starts, but the Mets have lost his last two starts. Walker is 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA on the road this season.
Walker faced the Angels most recently in 2020 while pitching with Seattle. Mike Trout is batting .625 (10-for-16) with three homers against Walker, and Shohei Ohtani is 1-for-1 with a homer. Anthony Rendon is 1-for-3 against Walker, and Tyler Wade is 1-for-1.
Trout Returns in a Big Way
The Angels are 2-1 in their last three games but just 2-15 in their last 17 games. Los Angeles is 17-17 at home and 11-10 as the underdogs. They are 21-24 against right-handed pitchers and have hit 78 home runs on the season.
Trout missed three straight games with groin tightness but returned to the lineup Saturday with two home runs and three RBI. Ohtani also homered in the win and drove in three runs. Jared Walsh hit for the cycle on Saturday while driving in three runs, and he has six hits in the series.
Trout is batting .294 on the season with 16 homers and 33 RBI. Ohtani is batting .255 with 13 homers and 37 RBI. Taylor Ward leads the Angels with a .333 average, but he’s currently on the injured list with a hamstring injury.
Sandoval has struggled in his last two starts, allowing a combined eight runs on nine hits over 7⅔ innings. In those two starts, he’s walked seven and struck out eight. Sandoval is 2-0 at home this season with a 3.00 ERA, and he hasn’t allowed a home run in 48 innings on the season.
Sandoval has never faced the Mets but has faced four batters he could see on Sunday. Canha is 4-for-7 against Sandoval with an RBI. Escobar is 0-for-5, Marte is 0-for-3, and Lindor is 0-for-1 against the lefty.
Betting Analysis
- New York Mets -1.5 run line (+150). Moneyline -110
- Los Angeles Angels +1.5 run line (-170). Moneyline -110
- Total Runs: 9 runs. Over -105. Under -115.
The Mets have only lost two straight games on four occasions all season, and a win Sunday will end their 10-game road trip at 5-5. The Angels bullpen has struggled, and they allowed five runs in less than three innings on Saturday.
Getting Trout and Ohtani hot at the same time will help the Angels in the post-Maddon era, but the Mets have the better pitching on Sunday night.
Betting Pick: Mets Win (-110)
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