Brewers ask Nelson to lead them past Mets
Craig Counsell understood that his young squad would encounter a multitude of obstacles in 2016. What the Milwaukee skipper couldn’t have anticipated, however, was the rise of Jimmy Nelson.
The Brewers’ burgeoning ace aims to stay hot as the team commences an extended set against the Mets tonight, with an 8:10 p.m. ET first pitch at Miller Park. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv are opting for fourth-place Milwaukee (28-31). As for the defending National League champions, they enter as -101 underdogs.
Nelson’s emergence has provided a breath of fresh air for Counsell, who still lacks depth in the rotation. The second-year righty paces the staff in wins (five), ERA (3.43), strikeouts (60) and innings pitched (76). This evening, he targets a club-high ninth quality start.
That may be difficult to achieve vs. New York (32-26). Terry Collins’ crew snapped out of a mini-funk by dispatching Pittsburgh on Wednesday, 6-5, in extras. Scheduled hurler Bartolo Colon’s feeling it of late, too. The veteran is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA since May 23. He’s also 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA in three career outings in the Badger State.
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Can the Mets figure out a way to create enough offense in the opener, though? Beyond James Loney, the visitors possess nary a .280 hitter. We envision a low-scoring affair that helps pad Nelson’s statistics even further.
THURSDAY MLB FREE PICK: METS/BREWERS UNDER 9 RUNS
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