Wang Faces Mets
The New York Mets haven’t won consecutive games or a series at Yankee Stadium in almost three years.
The Mets have a chance to do both when they close out their abbreviated series against the New York Yankees on Sunday night.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made NY Yankees -148 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 69% of bets for this game have been placed on NY Yankees -148 (View MLB Bet Percentages). Bet this game.
After Friday’s series opener was postponed by rain, the Mets (21-19) avoided a third straight loss by winning 7-4 over the Yankees on Saturday. The victory leaves the Mets in position to win two in a row over the struggling Yankees (20-23) for the first time since June 24-25, 2005, which marked the only time since interleague play began in 1997 that they’ve won a series at Yankee Stadium.
David Wright and Carlos Beltran each had three hits, with Wright homering and driving in two runs for the Mets on Saturday. It came one day after manager Willie Randolph held a closed-door meeting in response to remarks by closer Billy Wagner that some perceived as critical of his teammates.
"You couldn’t draw it up any better for all the negativity that’s been going on,” said Wright of the Mets, who were coming off a 3-4 homestand in which they dropped three of four to last-place Washington.
Wagner got four outs to record his ninth save in nine chances as the Mets’ offense broke out after totaling three runs in their previous two losses.
Wright is batting .324 with eight RBIs in his last nine contests and .343 with six homers and 17 RBIs in 19 games versus the Yankees. Wright, though, is 0-for-4 lifetime against Sunday’s scheduled starter Chien-Ming Wang.
Wang (6-1, 2.90 ERA) allowed two runs in 8 2-3 innings of an 8-2 win over the Mets on June 17 at Yankee Stadium in his only start against them. The right-hander, who has not received a run from the Yankees’ offense while going 0-1 in his last two starts overall, gave up a run and seven hits in seven innings of a 2-1 11-inning loss on Tuesday at Tampa Bay.
"We’re not able to support our pitchers," outfielder Hideki Matsui, who went 0-for-4 Saturday, told the Yankees’ official Web site. "In that sense, it bothers you a little bit."
Though the Yankees matched their run total from their previous two games Saturday, they’ve lost two straight and four of five while being outscored 22-10 during that span.
Derek Jeter had three hits and homered along with Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi for the Yankees, who are 3-7 since winning three in a row earlier this month.
"We hit the three home runs, that was about it. We need to get some things going,” said Jeter, who is hitting .314 this season and is 12-for-33 with two homers in his last eight games.
Jeter is 4-for-12 with two doubles against the Mets’ scheduled starter Oliver Perez.
Perez (3-3, 4.61) avoided a third straight loss in his last outing after allowing three runs and three hits in six innings of an 8-3 victory over Cincinnati last Sunday.
The left-hander has pitched well against the Yankees, going 3-1 with a 3.04 ERA and will try for his third consecutive victory over them after going 2-0 – with a win at Yankee Stadium – in 2007. Bet this game.
Here are some top trends for today’s game:
– NY YANKEES are 115-93 (-23.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
– NY YANKEES are 77-71 (-49.6 Units) against the money line in home games in May games since 1997.
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