Philadelphia Phillies (3-0) vs New York Mets (0-0)
Game Info: Monday, April 5, 2021 at 7:05 pm (Citizens Bank Park)
Matt Moore (0-0) (0.00) vs Jacob deGrom (0-0) (0.00)
Betting Odds: Philadelphia Phillies +184 / New York Mets -220 --- Over/Under: 7.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Philadelphia Phillies will host the New York Mets Monday night. This will be the Mets first game of the season after their series with Washington was cancelled due to COVID protocol.
The New York Mets are optimistic heading into the 2021 season. They finished 2020 26-34 but added star shortstop Francisco Lindor to an already potent offense, making them a top contender in a stacked NL East. In 2020 the Mets had a .272 team batting average (1st), .348 on base percentage (2nd), and .459 slugging percentage (4th). The Mets were average in spring training, going 11-11 in Grapefruit League play. Francisco Lindor led the team with a .370 batting average, and 4 home runs. Another welcome sign was the resurgence of Pete Alonso this spring, as he hit .340 with 4 HR and 16 RBI.
New York will send out ace Jake deGrom to start on Monday. He was great in 2020, going 4-2 with a 2.38 ERA, 104 strikeouts and a .96 WHIP. That success has carried over into the spring, as deGrom was lights out in the Grapefruit League. He was 3-0 with a .66 ERA, .66 WHIP and 13.8 K/9.
Philadelphia has now won 3 straight after knocking off the Braves 2-1 on Sunday. Alec Bohm had the go-ahead single in the 8th inning. The pitching staff was dominant again, and have given up just 3 runs through their first 3 games. The offense has gotten off to a slow start, scoring just 9 runs through their first 3. They are batting a collective .260 with a .695 OPS. J.T. Realmuto leads the team with a .444 batting average and 1.167 OPS.
The Phillies will call on lefty Matt Moore to start against the Mets. He last pitched in 2019. He had 2 starts going 10 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts. During spring training he was 2-1 with a 4.6 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 14 strikeouts.
The Mets have now had a week off so it will be interesting to see how they respond. Their offense was great last season, and despite the Phillies dominant pitching so far I still give them the edge. Matt Moore had a mediocre spring and could be vulnerable against a potent Mets offense eager to start their season. Jake deGrom has been nothing short of brilliant for the New York the last few seasons, and his strong spring indicates he is not due for a set back in 2021. Give me the Mets to win.