The Los Angeles Dodgers (8-8, 5-4 home) face the New York Mets (10-6, 6-4 away) for the first time this season, beginning with a three-game series on Monday night. Last season, the Mets held a 4-3 advantage over the Dodgers in head-to-head battles.
The first pitch of the series opener is at 10:10 p.m. EST inside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles is the betting favorite (-160 moneyline), and the over/under total is 8.5 runs.
What to Know – New York Mets
New York rolls into the week carrying a four-game winning streak after sweeping the Oakland Athletics over the weekend. The Mets are keeping pace with the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, sitting two games back in the standings.
On the hill for the visitors is left-hander David Peterson (0-2, 4.91 ERA, 1.84 WHIP). Peterson is still searching for his first victory of the season after losses in two of his first three trips to the mound. The 27-year-old southpaw has pitched 14.2 innings over three starts, allowing eight earned runs on 19 hits and eight walks with 16 strikeouts.
Offensively, the Mets sit near the bottom of the MLB with a .217 team batting average but score 4.7 runs per game. That number jumped significantly after New York opened with a 17-run effort in the series opener against the A’s on Friday.
Pete Alonso leads the majors with eight home runs, adding 14 runs scored and 14 runs batted in. Francisco Lindor paces the team with 16 RBIs backed by four home runs.
What to Know – Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers continue a six-game homestand looking to get back into the win column after dropping two of three to the Chicago Cubs. The bats went cold for Los Angeles over the weekend, scoring just three combined runs on Saturday and Sunday.
Right-hander Dustin May (1-1, 1.47 ERA, 0.76 WHIP) hopes to give the Dodgers a chance on the mound. The 27-year-old has been excellent through three trips this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing a majority of 2022. Over three starts, May has thrown 18.1 innings, surrendering three earned runs on seven hits and seven walks while striking out 12 batters.
Like the Mets, the Dodgers sit near the bottom of the league, batting .231 as a team but score 5.3 runs per game. Los Angeles ranks second in the MLB with 27 home runs as a squad.
Max Muncy leads the team in both home runs (6) and RBIs (14) but is hitting only .208. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts have scored 12 runs apiece thanks to their spots at the top of the Dodger lineup.
The Pick is In
The Los Angeles lineup is too good to not produce runs for an extended period. Peterson has allowed only two home runs this year, but expect the Dodgers to get double that total Monday night. May continues to roll on the mound, containing the New York lineup and setting up Los Angeles for the victory.
The Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers ML
