Mets vs. Dodgers: MLB Picks

Offensively-challenged Los Angeles will just be looking to hit the scoreboard when it begins a four-game series with the New York Mets at Chavez Ravine Thursday night. Join us as we follow this series and share our MLB picks.

The Mets have taken the first two games of this series, winning Thursday 3-2 behind a quality start from Chris Young and 9-0 Friday behind another gem from RA Dickey.

So the Dodgers have scored a total of 15 runs in losing 10 of their last 11 games.

LA now trails San Francisco by one game in the NL West, while the Mets are 3.5 games back of first-place Washington in the NL East.

New York will send Johan Santana (5-4, 3.00) to the hill Saturday (7:15 pm Eastern, Fox) against Nathan Eovaldi (0-4, 4.04) for Los Angeles.

Santana is eight-for-15 on quality starts this season, and the Mets are 8-7 in his starts. Most recently Santana gave up two runs in six innings Monday vs. the Cubs, and over his last three outings he's allowed six runs in 17 innings.

For the season the left-hander has allowed just 71 hits in 90 innings, walked 31 and struck out 90.

Santana hasn't faced the Dodgers since 2010.

Eovaldi, meanwhile, is three-for-six on quality starts this year, but LA is 0-6 in games he's started. Now he's coming off the worst outing of his short career, after he got clipped for eight runs on 10 hits in five innings Monday vs. the Giants. But before that Eovaldi had given up just eight runs on the season, covering 31 innings.

For the season Eovaldi has allowed 38 hits in 36 innings, walked 13 and struck out 21.

Eovaldi has never pitched vs. the Mets.

Most online sportsbooks are listing New York at right around -140 for Saturday's game, with an 'over/under' of seven. The Mets can also be had at upwards of +135 on the run line at some baseball betting shops.

Free MLB Pick for Saturday

We backed the Mets for wins both Thursday and Friday, so why would we jump off that money train now?

New York added to LA's misery by taking the opening game of this series Thursday night 3-2. Chris Young carded a quality start and reliever Bobby Parnell threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save, his first since taking over at closer for the injured Frank Francisco. 

The Mets won as +120 underdogs Thursday, and the game stayed 'under' its total of seven.

Hey, at least Los Angeles scored a couple runs, which was a positive development, after getting shut out three times in a row at San Francisco earlier this week. 

The Dodgers' loss, combined with the Giants' win over Cincinnati Thursday, means LA now trails San Fran by a game in the NL West race. 

The Mets, meanwhile, sit 3.5 games behind first-place Washington in the NL East. 

On the injury front Dodgers OF Andre Ethier missed Thursday's game with a strained oblique, and he's questionable for the rest of this series. 

The Mets will send knuckleballer RA Dickey (11-1, 2.31) to the mound Friday night against the Dodgers' Aaron Harang (5-4, 3.81). 

Dickey is 11-for-15 in quality starts this year, and the Mets have won 12 of his starts. But he's coming off a rare rough outing in which he gave up five runs in six innings to the Yankees last Sunday. Most of that damage came on one swing of the bat, a three-run homer by Nick Swisher. 

On the season Dickey has given up just 72 hits in 105 innings, walked 24 and struck out 106. 

Dickey pitched once against LA last year, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits in seven innings. 

Harang, by our strict standards, has just five quality starts this year in 15 tries, although the Dodgers are 8-7 when he's started. Most recently Harang gave up three ER on eight hits in six innings vs. the Angels last Saturday, and over his last three starts he's allowed six ER 16 2/3 innings. 

For the season Harang has allowed 88 hits in 87 innings and owns a 70/39 K/BB ratio. 

Last year, pitching for San Diego, Harang started twice against the Mets, and gave up seven ER on 18 hits in 10 2/3 innings. 

In searching the baseball betting pages Friday morning the best price we found on Dickey and the Mets was the -130 at Matchbook, while the best number on Harang and the Dodgers was the +128 also at Matchbook. 

The Mets can also be gotten at +133 on Matchbook's baseball betting run line.

Finally, most books are listing the O/U on this game at 6.5.

Free MLB Pick for Friday

We've been on Dickey a couple of times already this season, and it's paid off, so with the Dodgers struggling so mightily to score runs we'll back the knuckleballer again on Friday.

To say the Los Angeles Dodgers are having a tough time scoring runs would be like saying Charlize Theron is “cute;” it's a bit of an understatement. 

The Dodgers just did something they've never done in the history of the franchise; they got shut out for a series. LA just lost three games in San Francisco by scores of 8-0, 2-0 and 3-0, managing just 16 hits, 13 of which were singles, in the process. 

So in losing eight of their last nine games the Dodgers have seen their lead in the NL East evaporate to nothing; they're now tied for first place with the Giants at 43-33. 

Los Angeles is also now 20-20 this season without OF and triple-crown candidate Matt Kemp. 

The Mets, meanwhile, just broke a four-game losing streak by salvaging one game of a three-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field with a 17-1 romp Wednesday. 

So the Mets enter this series at 40-36 and in third place in the NL East, 4.5 games behind the first-place Washington Nationals. 

In Thursday's pitching matchup Chris Young (1-1, 3.42) will start the series opener for New York (10:10 pm Eastern) against former Met Chris Capuano (9-2, 2.60) for the Dodgers. 

Young is one-for-four on quality starts since joining the Big Club earlier this month, and the Mets are 1-3 in his starts. In his most recent outing Young allowed three runs on four hits in six innings against the Yankees, but the Mets lost that game 4-3. And they lost his previous outing 3-1 to Cincinnati. So far this year Young has given up 28 hits in 24 innings, walked eight and struck out 12.

Young hasn't faced Los Angeles since 2009. 

On the other side of this battle of arms Capuano is looking to secure a spot on the NL All-Star team staff. So far this season Capuano, who went 11-12 for the Mets last year, is nine-for-15 on quality starts, and the Dodgers are 11-4 when he's started. Most recently Cappy held the Angels to one run in seven innings last Saturday, and just before that he gave up one run in eight innings against the White Sox, walking one and striking out a dozen.

For the season Capuano has allowed 74 hits in 93 innings, and owns an 84/31 K/BB ratio. 

Capuano has no recent history pitching against the Mets. 

As far as the baseball betting lines go, as of early Thursday morning the Dodgers can be had at -123 for Thursday night's game at 5Dimes, while the Mets can be gotten at +121 at Matchbook. 

LA can also be played, if you dare, at +170 on the run line at many baseball betting outlets. 

And most MLB betting shops are listing the total on this game at seven. 

In early betting on Thursday's game action on the side has leaned by a 63-37 percent margin toward the Dodgers, while play on the total has broken just about even.

The 'over/unders' are 5-10 in Capuano's starts this season.

The Mets are four games over .500 overall this year, but just 10-17 against left-handed starting pitchers.

On the injury front not only are the Dodgers playing without Kemp, they're now also missing Andre Ethier, who left Wednesday's game after straining an oblique. He's listed as doubtful for Thursday and could be headed to the DL.

This is the first meeting between these two teams this season. Last year New York took five of seven games from LA.

Free MLB Pick for Thursday