Mets vs Pirates Predictions: Skenes Takes Mound Friday
Teams Meet in Pittsburgh For Four-Game Series
The New York Mets (42-43) open a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates (41-45) on Friday. Both teams are on the outside looking in as it pertains to the NL wild card race. That puts a bit of added importance to the series. Both teams probably believe they have the chance to make up some ground in the next four games. Reaching the wild card game will probably be as good as it gets for these two. Both remain huge longshots in the MLB World Series odds. The Mets vs Pirates predictions show Luis Severino and Paul Skenes as the starting pitchers in Friday’s game. Pittsburgh is -126 and the total is 7.5-over (-120). The Pirates are +165 on the runline, with the Mets +1.5 runs at -195.
The Mets are averaging 4.9 runs per game, so the offense is holding up its end of the bargain. New York is batting .247 as a team, which is No. 11 in MLB. The Mets have hit 109 home runs, which is fourth-best in Major League Baseball.
New York’s pitching staff has been a little below average with a team ERA of 4.14. That’s 21st in the MLB rankings. The bullpen has converted just 20 of 35 save opportunities.
Pittsburgh has struggled at the plate a little bit this season. The Pirates are No. 25 in team batting average with a mark of .228. That ranks No. 25 in MLB. Pittsburgh doesn’t have a lot of power in the line-up, sitting at No. 24 in home runs. The Pirates are scoring 4.0 runs per game as a result, which is less than the MLB average of 4.4 runs.
The Pittsburgh pitching staff is a little better than average, with the starters doing most of the strong work. The bullpen has let a few games get away, converting just 23 of 39 save opportunities.
Mets vs Pirates 
📊Records: New York Mets (42-43) / Pittsburgh Pirates (41-45)
⏰Day/Time: 📍Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
📺Streaming: SNY
Friday’s Game
Skenes should ensure the Pirates have a good crowd for the series opener. He’s 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA and Pittsburgh is 6-3 in the games he’s started this season. The Pirates are 4-2 when he takes the mound as a favorite and 3-2 when he starts at home.
Severino hasn’t been bad this season, although he’s been a little inconsistent. He’s not striking out hitters like he used to, but is still 5-2 with a 3.42 ERA. New York is 8-8 when he starts and 10-6 in total. The Mets have allowed two runs or less in five of his starts and seven runs or more seven times. It’s not fair to blame all the poor efforts on Severino. The bullpen has helped add fuel to the fire on more than one occasion.
The Mets vs Pirates predictions for this game are going to call for a play on the over 7.5. New York is an over team when Severino takes the mound, while Pittsburgh is 3-2 in home totals with Skenes on the hill.
Saturday’s Game
The scheduled starters for Game No. 2 are David Peterson and Bailey Falter in a battle of southpaws. Peterson is 3-0 on the season with a 3.51 ERA. The Mets are 5-1 when Peterson starts. New York won each of his last two starts despite allowing seven runs each game. Pittsburgh is averaging 4.3 runs against left-handed starters, so they’re scoring a little more.
Falter is 4-6 with a 3.87 ERA and the Pirates are 7-9 when he starts. The Mets also see an increase in scoring against left-handers and are scoring 5.5 runs per game. That number increases to 6.2 runs on the road.
The total is going to be higher in this game than on Friday, but take the over for your MLB picks and parlays. Both teams hit left-handers a little better and with both pitchers having ERAs less than 4.00, the over/under shouldn’t get out of hand.
Sunday’s Game
Skenes may be the Pirates’ prized rookie, but Jared Jones has also been impressive in his first year. He did go on the 15-day injured list earlier in the week, forcing Pittsburgh to juggle its rotation.
Mitch Keller would have been on the mound today, with Jones starting Monday. The Pirates pushed Keller back to Monday for an extra day to rest and haven’t named a starter for this game. It could be a bullpen game. The Pirates recalled outfielder Joshua Palacios when Jones went to the IL.
The Mets will have Sean Manaea on the mound and the veteran left-hander is having another decent year. Manaea is 5-3 with a 3.67 ERA and the Mets are 10-6 when he starts. New York has been even more dominant when he takes the mound on the road, going 6-1.
Whoever the Pirates start in this game isn’t going to be as good as Manaea. As long as the line is reasonable, the Mets are a definite possibility in this spot.
Monday’s Game
Christian Scott and Mitch Keller are the scheduled starters in Monday’s daytime finale. Scott is 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA on the year and the Mets are just 1-5 when he starts. He’s had a couple of decent starts along the way but has been let down by the bullpen or the offense on a few occasions.
Keller is having a strong start to the year for Pittsburgh. He’s gone 9-5 with a 3.48 ERA and the Pirates are 11-6 when he starts. Pittsburgh is an impressive 8-1 when he starts as an underdog, but just 3-5 when he goes off as the favorite.
Most of the Mets vs Pirates predictions are going to be on the Pirates here due to the pitching advantage for Pittsburgh. Keller is tough to play as a favorite, however, and the Mets could be a decent underdog wager.
Mets vs Pirates Odds
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