Mets vs Dodgers MLB Betting + Handicapping Picks
The Dodgers are 10 games into a stretch of 20 games in 20 days leading up to the All-Star break, and just when they thought things couldn’t get any tougher–Andre Ethier left Wednesday’s game in the first inning with a left oblique strain.
NYM: R.A. Dickey (11-1, 2.31 ERA) v LAD: Aaron Harang (5-4, 3.81 ERA)
Date/Time: Friday, June 29, 2012, 10:10 PM ET
Venue: Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles
Broadcast: SNY (New York), FOX Sports Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
Spread: OFF
Over/Under: OFF
Now they will look to stay in the race for the NL West with the Giants, when they take on the Mets in Game 2 of a four-game set on Friday at venerable Dodger Stadium.
Ethier’s injury seemed a fitting end to a miserable 1-8 road trip for LA, who after being shut out for the third consecutive time by the Giants on Wednesday, have slipped into a tie with their rival, all the while losing 10 of their last 15 heading into the opener with the Mets last night.
An MRI on Thursday was performed and initial reports suggest that the Dodgers’ slugger will join fellow starters Matt Kemp, Mark Ellis and Ted Lilly on the disabled list.
A crushing blow to a team that hadn’t scored a run in 30 innings coming back to Chavez Ravine.
Meanwhile, the Mets exploded for 17 in a rout of the Cubs on Wednesday to snap a four-game losing streak. And after a terrible start, Ike Davis has raised his average over .200 for the first time this season after going 18-for-51 (.353) with five home runs and 20 RBI in his last 16 games.
The Mets Daniel Murphy also had two home runs on Wednesday, breaking a homerless streak of 352 at-bats dating back to last season. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
But this game is likely to be won with a pitching duel, as the Dodgers send Aaron Harang up against the Mets’ R.A. Dickey, who suffered his first loss of the season after being tattooed by the Yankees on Sunday.
The 37-year old right-hander was sporting a perfect 11-0 record before yielding five runs and three walks over six innings to hand the Yanks a 6-5 victory.
Dickey’s streak without allowing an earned run ended at 44 2-3 innings – second best in team history behind Dwight Gooden’s stretch of 49 innings in 1985.
He will no doubt look to get back on track against the Dodgers, whom he has one start against back in 2011, allowing four runs (three earned) over seven innings that resulted in a loss.
But he will have to outgun Harang, who surprisingly failed to record a strikeout in a start for the first time since 2007 in Sunday’s series finale against the Angels.
Still, it was the veteran righty’s ninth quality start of the season and he has gone 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA through his five starts in June.
In two starts against the Mets in 2011, Harang went 1-0 with a 5.91 ERA.
Matt’s Free Prediction: Mets– The Dodgers lineup is skin and bones, and frankly, Dickey shouldn’t have too much trouble against what is now close to a last place team in terms of roster talent.
