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• New York Mets vs. Tampa Bay Rays
• Tuesday, May 16 at 7pm ET
• Citi Field in Queens, New York
This is the kind of showdown that Major League Baseball fans have been waiting for. In a showdown of powerhouses from both the National League and American League, the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets are ready to face off in what should be an exciting series this week. And on Tuesday night at Citi Field, people can’t wait to see the action – the stands will be packed. Leading up to the first pitch, the Mets are favored to beat the Rays with Justin Verlander pitching.
During the offseason, one of the biggest moves was without question the Mets bringing in Verlander to Queens. Everyone in Flushing celebrated the news like the Mets had just won the division. That’s how great Verlander can be with the ball in his hands. New York has spent quite a bit of money in recent offseasons and it’s because the owners want this team to get back to the World Series soon.
| Mets vs. Rays odds |  |  |  |  |
| Mets to win | -115 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Rays to win | +125 | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Bringing in someone like Verlander shows how serious the NL East side is on making a splash this season. As for the Rays, they’ve looked like the best team in baseball and it’s not often that they’re underdogs for a showdown. Thanks to great pitching and hitting, the Rays have seen their odds to win the Fall Classic skyrocket over the past month. This team is the real deal, there’s no denying that.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Mets hold -115 MLB betting odds to beat Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. As for the Rays, they’ve been set at +125. Again, the Rays are fierce competitors and they’re easily one of the best clubs in the game. However, things change whenever Verlander is on the bump. Because of this, we’re going with the Mets as our pick to win.
.@JustinVerlander makes his @CitiField debut tomorrow!
🏟️👉 https://t.co/vsfGdc2Xm1 pic.twitter.com/SZPmtRxM4u
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 15, 2023
The over should hit in the Rays vs. Mets showdown
Even though Verlander will be on the bump and we think that he’ll put on a show, the over should hit in the Rays vs. Mets showdown. This is because Tampa Bay will be sending out left-handed pitcher Jalen Beeks for the start. Beeks has been way too inconsistent for the AL East side this year. Some of his performances have been disappointing and fans have let him know about it on social media.
Entering this next start vs. the Mets, Beeks holds a 1-2 record and a 5.40 ERA. That ERA of his is quite concerning and one that he needs to improve on as soon as possible. It’s not going to help him that the Mets are loaded with offensive power, with the list including Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and others. If Beeks makes a mistake or two with his pitches, or loses focus on his command, NY will make him pay for it.
Similar to the Yankees, the Mets have dealt with inconsistent play, but it feels like they’re starting to play well at the right time. With them right around .500 right now, fans in Queens are hopeful that this club can really start to make some noise and put some pressure on the Braves in the NL East. Meanwhile for the Rays, they have a ton of talent at the dish too, so they have the potential to score some runs as well.
Justin Verlander takes some time for the fans ✍️ pic.twitter.com/mUff74Je47
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 15, 2023
Per the oddsmakers, the over/under has been set at 6.5 runs for this contest. We could see Velander holding the Rays to 2-3 runs in this one, but we think that Beeks is going to have a long night going up against the Mets lineup. They will make him pay in front of what should be a sellout crowd at the stadium. With all of that said, we’re going with our gut here and picking the over to hit in this meeting.
Mets have seen their NL East odds drop
While we do think that New York will post a win on Tuesday, we can’t forget that the Mets have seen their NL East odds drop dramatically. Ahead of the new campaign, the Mets had strong MLB betting odds to win the division. A lot of fans thought it would be a season-long race between the Mets, Phillies and Braves for the crown. However, Atlanta has been brilliant and they’re leading the pack. No one wanted to see this, especially since the Atlanta-New York rivalry is such a strong one.
As of this writing, the Mets hold +650 odds to win the NL East, while the Braves are at -470. That just shows how much belief people in Vegas have for Brian Snitker’s group. At this point, it would be a stunner if Atlanta didn’t win the NL East this year, but you never know what might happen late in the campaign. If the Mets can get hot and stay hot, then they very well could end up stealing the title away from the Braves. This is something a lot of folks all over New York are hoping to see.
