Boston Red Sox
New York Mets
(-110/-110)-115
As the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox prepare for their matchup on September 2, 2024, both teams find themselves in the midst of competitive seasons, with the Mets boasting a record of 73-64, while the Red Sox sit at 70-67. This Interleague series opener features Luis Severino projected to take the mound for the Mets, and Brayan Bello slated for the Red Sox. The stakes are high, especially considering the Mets’ recent victory against the White Sox on September 1, where they secured a shutout win, a promising sign for their pitching staff.
Despite Severino’s below-average ranking as the 131st best starting pitcher in MLB, his ERA of 3.96 this year suggests he can stabilize the Mets’ rotation. However, he has struggled with allowing runs, projected to give up 2.6 earned runs today, alongside a concerning average of 4.9 hits allowed. In contrast, Brayan Bello, ranked 53rd best, has shown better form lately, coming off an impressive outing where he threw eight innings without allowing an earned run.
Offensively, the Mets rank 10th in MLB, displaying solid consistency, especially with Francisco Lindor leading the charge. However, with their power-heavy lineup—ranking 4th in home runs—the Mets face a high-groundball pitcher like Bello, who poses an interesting challenge. The projections indicate that the Red Sox could outscore the Mets, projecting them to average 4.48 runs, while the Mets are expected to tally only 3.92 runs.
With the odds currently set at -120 for the Mets, suggesting a close contest, bettors should consider the value in the Red Sox, who have a higher projected win probability of 54%, compared to the implied probabilities. This could make for an intriguing game at Citi Field.
Boston Red Sox Insights
- Brayan Bello – Over/Under 5.5 Strikeouts (+110/-140)Over his previous 3 starts, Brayan Bello has generated a notable increase in his fastball spin rate: from 2034 rpm over the whole season to 2097 rpm lately.Explain: Spin rate is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs, so a pitcher whose spin rate worsens will likely see worsened results as well.
- Rafael Devers – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+120/-155)The New York Mets have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Rafael Devers has a strong chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game.Explain: Hitters perform worse against pitchers of the same handedness (i.e. righty-vs-righty), and being able to avoid those matchups against the bullpen boosts performance and creates hidden edge.
- Jarren Duran – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+105/-135)Jarren Duran has a 96th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (39.4%) and has the good fortune of hitting them out towards baseball’s 4th-shallowest LF fences in today’s matchup.Explain: This player’s skill set matches up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to better-than-usual performance.
New York Mets Insights
- Luis Severino – Over/Under 17.5 Pitching Outs (-125/-105)Luis Severino has been granted more leash than the typical pitcher this year, throwing 3.7 more adjusted pitches-per-outing than the average starting pitcher.Explain: Pitchers with a longer leash are more likely to go deeper into games and record more outs.
- Starling Marte – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-170/+130)Typically, hitters like Starling Marte who hit a lot of flyballs usually hit worse when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Brayan Bello.Explain: This mostly has to do with the way the hitter’s swing plane interacts with the pitch trajectory, and it can create diminished performance across all categories and hidden value few are considering.
- It may be wise to expect worse numbers for the New York Mets offense the rest of the season, given that the leading projection system (THE BAT X) sees them as the 4th-luckiest offense in the league this year.Explain: When teams overperform their projected talent level, markets may overvalue them even while they are likely to perform worse in the near future.
Betting Trends
- New York Mets – Over/Under 1.5 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total (-170/+130)The New York Mets have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total Over in 25 of their last 36 games at home (+12.95 Units / 30% ROI)
- Over/Under 8.0 Game Total (-110/-110)The Boston Red Sox have hit the Game Total Over in 30 of their last 47 away games (+13.55 Units / 26% ROI)
- Jarren Duran – Over/Under 0.5 Home Runs (+470/-800)Jarren Duran has hit the Home Runs Over in 11 of his last 40 games (+32.80 Units / 82% ROI)