Two very hot teams, the 76-64 New York Mets and the 68-73 Cincinnati Reds, will open a 3-game set tonight at Citi Field in Queens. The Mets are smoking hot, winning 7 straight and outscoring their opponents 34-12 over that span. The Reds have won 4 straight and are expected to have Fernado Cruz tapping the rubber. Cruz’s numbers are nothing to write home about, with a record of 3-8, a 4.99 ERA, and a 1.35 WHIP. New York is expected to hand the ball to Sean Manaea and he has been in the zone. The lefty is 11-5 with an ERA of 3.35, a 1.12 WHIP, and it gets better. Over his last 3 turns he is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.53. New York is deadlocked with Atlanta for the final Wild Card spot in the NL. They need to take care of business at home this weekend and they will. The Mets took 2 out of 3 from the Reds back in April, in Cincinnati, and have the edge in runs scored, run differential, batting average, hits, and homers.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK METS