Peter Lewis
• New York Mets vs. Oakland Athletics
• Friday, April 14 at 9:40 PM ET
• Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California
Get your popcorn ready, as the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics are set to treat us to a fantastic series this weekend. Both teams are going in opposite directions, as the Mets are eyeing a World Series title in the near future, while the Athletics have been near the bottom of the AL West for quite some time. Looking ahead to later this week, the Mets are favored to beat the Athletics in a key Friday night matchup.
Normally when a club is hosting, they’re the favorites to come away with a win. However, that’s not the case for this one, as the Athletics are a bit of a dumpster fire. It’s been a long time since the A’s have been highly competitive. Not only that, but the home-field advantage won’t be present for them on Friday night. Time and time again we see an empty stadium in Oakland, which is rough to see.
| Mets vs A's odds |  |  |  |  |
| Mets to win | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| A's to win | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
The Mets aren’t going to be rattled by the low amount of fans that will be making their way to catch the action. Do you think guys like Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso are going to be distracted? Not a chance. In this one, the A’s are yet to announce their starter, but Mets’ hurler Kodai Senga is scheduled to take the hill for the NL East side. Senga has been superb this year.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Mets hold -110 MLB betting odds to come away with a win vs. Oakland. The Athletics have been set at +125. From our chair, we think it’d be a major shocker if the Mets didn’t come away with a victory. They’re looking to make a statement in their contests vs. AL teams, and that will happen on Friday. We’re going with the Mets as our pick.
Pete Alonso – New York Mets (6)
pic.twitter.com/z7i8nD6hZ4— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) April 12, 2023
Mets are hoping to post plenty of runs vs. Oakland
Regardless of who the A’s send out to start, the Mets are hoping to post plenty of runs vs. Oakland when they meet on Friday night. When at full capacity, the New York lineup is one that surely worries opposing teams. We mentioned Lindor and Alonso before and rightfully so. They’re two solid hitters and they’ve got the kind of power that has fans thinking they can belt a homer whenever they’re at the dish.
Lindor is one of the best infielders in the game too, as he has some fantastic defensive abilities. At the plate, though, is where he shines. The Mets are no strangers to lighting up the scoreboard and a lot of NY supporters are hoping that things won’t change in the slightest while taking on the A’s in California.
Happy flight to the West Coast ✈️@You_Found_Nimmo | #LGM pic.twitter.com/HyRvJEx6Yf
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 12, 2023
The over/under for this game has been set at 6.5 runs. We think the Mets have the potential to top that number on their own alone. That’s how dangerous this group can be when they catch fire. Friday night could prove to be an exciting showdown for the New York bats. Because of this, we’re going with the over as our pick.
Mets continue to hold strong NL East odds
Despite things being early on in the campaign, the Mets continue to hold strong NL East odds. This could end up being a race between New York and the Atlanta Braves, as these two rivals are looking tough for 2023. However, the Philadelphia Phillies aren’t a team to forget about either, as Brye Harper and Kyle Schwarber feature a ton of talent and power. Philly is a dark-horse contender.
With the Mets, though, this will really come down to how healthy they can stay the rest of the season. With their starting rotation, all eyes are going to be on the key hurlers: Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. These two form one of the best starting duos in the bigs. Fans are ready to see both of them be dominant this year. Thus far, Mets fans have loved what they’ve been able to see from the rotation as a whole.
“I thought I self-diagnosed my last start right,” Scherzer said after his most recent outing. “I’m not broken. I wasn’t broken after the Milwaukee start. I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel, just had to fine-tune some things. That’s baseball. If you follow the results, you can make yourself go crazy at times. You’ve got to be able to reflect on what’s actually happening and know where you’re getting beat. I thought I identified the right things to be able to do, and I made better pitches because of that.”
Scherzer is pitching with confidence, which this team needs. Per the oddsmakers, the Mets betting odds to win the NL East are at +225. The Braves are the favorites at -175. Yes, these two clubs have an insane amount of talent, but the Mets have what it takes to leap them in the standings once the fall rolls around. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see the Mets out-battle Atlanta and win the NL East this year.
