Severino And Mets Will Cruise Against Rays

Mets vs. Rays, 7:15 ET

For all of you youngsters out there, there was a time when we might not have seen this matchup regularly. I don’t know how many years it is now, but 20 years or so ago when I was a kid, I can remember Interleague Play was a big deal. It was a marketing tactic for the league and it provided matchups we only saw once per season, or matchups we would see once every few years. Now, these games are probably taken for granted, but let’s not miss an opportunity to appreciate and bet on an Interleague matchup as the Mets take on the Rays. 

At this point, the NL East is probably going to end up pretty similarly to what it was last season. The biggest difference is the drastic fall off from the Marlins. However, we can expect the Braves will win the division, the Phillies will grab a Wild Card spot, and the Mets might compete for one of the last Wild Card spots or nothing at all. The Nationals look like they are competitive, but I think they are trending toward playing for the future as opposed to this season, and the Marlins look awful. Still, this has to be a positive sign for the Mets after last year’s debacle of a season. The team is hitting decently enough, even their lineup doesn’t strike much fear into opponents, and their pitching staff has been a pleasant surprise from a ragtag bunch of guys. One of the dudes throwing the ball rather well is Luis Severino. On the season, he has a 2.31 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He has posted three straight quality starts, allowed no more than three earned runs in any of his six outings, and only one game where he allowed more than five hits. Having been on the Yankees for so long, you’d think he would have more experience against the Rays, but he only has allowed three hits in 19 at-bats to three players. 

Apr 22, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Zack Littell (52) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Rays started last season on a historic run, winning their first 13 games. By April 18th of last year, they had already captured 15 wins. And, on May 4th of last season, they were 26-6. This year is a bit different for them as they are under .500 now and grabbed their 14th win on April 29th. There are quite a few things that are different this season, of course. They are missing their Ace, Shane McClanahan. They traded away Tyler Glasnow. And, well, let’s not get into the Wander Franco fiasco. Still, the Rays are a team that has been in this type of situation before. They continue to find ways to make it work with a roster that has a low payroll and high expectations. This hasn’t been an overly pretty stretch for the Rays, but perhaps playing a Mets team that they stack up nicely against will do the trick. Tonight, they are putting Zack Littell on the hill to try and navigate the Mets lineup. Littell has a 3.27 Era and a 1.36 WHIP. After throwing six shutout innings in his first start of the season, he has allowed at least one run in every start since. He has only allowed more than three earned runs once in the six starts, but my concern is that he allows a lot of hits. Opponents have 40 hits in 33 innings of work. He does strike out about one hitter per inning, but living with that many folks on base is dangerous. 

This game probably will go under since neither of the clubs are hitting particularly well. However, I think the Mets are the correct side in this game. Their pitching has been better than the Rays, which isn’t something I’d normally think would happen. It is possible Littell finds a way to beat the Mets, but I prefer New York in this one with the way Severino has pitched. Back the Mets.            

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