Take Scherzer And Mets To Win Rubber Match

Mets vs. Dodgers, 3:10 ET

It is a rubber match. It is still early in the season, and these games don't necessarily mean as much as they will late in the year, but I look at some of these as measuring sticks. How good are the Mets against competition that is likely to be in the playoffs? Are the Dodgers an average team now or are they just stumbling out of the gate? Ultimately this is just one game, but it is interesting. Let's see who to take in this rubber match.

In game one of the series, the Mets continued their hot hitting from the series against the Atheltics and were able to collect eight runs. This was a game that I played, and lost. I expected the Dodgers Dustin May to perform significantly better than he did. The Mets hit him pretty hard and then couldn't hit much of anything the next day. Now they have Max Scherzer taking the ball. He was solid in his first start of the season, a quality start against the Marlins. He was knocked around by the Brewers in his next one, and then rebounded allowing just one hit over five innings to the Padres. I'm a little concerned about the fact that he is returning from an injury - one that didn't require time on the injured list - but still, something is bothering him. He still is one of the more dominant starters. Some of the Dodgers have had success against him, but he's also gotten the better of them many times too.

For the Dodgers, a 9-9 start has to be concerning for most Los Angeles fans. That is if the fans actually care or pay attention to them before September. They are playing inconsistent baseball, or just facing teams that are hot. I'm not really sure what the reasoning is. They did take yesterday's game in a 5-0 victory. Their longtime ace, Clayton Kershaw, was able to go seven innings and strikeout nine Mets. Now they turn the ball to Noah Syndergaard. He really hasn't been bad this season in a few starts. His good starts come when he pitches at home in Los Angeles, just as they did last year. I think he has the potential to be reliable, at least at home. But, there is no question over who is the better starter in this game.

I do think that the Mets will win this game, and how often are you going to get Max Scherzer at -130 for the game? Not very often, plus he's facing a guy that I have to expect can allow runs. This isn't a complete fade of Syndergaard because I do think he can produce a decent outing. I just think this is too good of a value on the Mets to pass up.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024