The New York Mets have fallen out of a playoff spot with a 2-5 record over their last seven games. The Mets will try to right the ship this week in a four-game series against the Yankees, starting at home on Monday and Tuesday before playing two games at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday.
Yankees vs. Mets 2016 odds: Mets small home favorite in set opener on Monday
The Subway Series between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets features two home games and two away games this week.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
With Logan Verrett set to take the mound, the Mets are a -110 home favorite over the Yankees in Monday's series opener at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Yankees are going off at +100 with CC Sabathia getting the start.
The Mets have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball, ranking third in the majors with a team ERA of 3.35 and an ERA among starters of 3.43. But the Mets currently find themselves on the outside looking in for a playoff spot thanks to an offense that ranks 28th in baseball with a paltry 3.66 runs per game produced.
With Daniel Murphy leading the National League in batting average playing for the rival Washington Nationals, the Mets' front office must regret letting the second baseman go more and more with each passing day.
Over the last 12 games between these two rivals, the road team is 9-3, per the OddsShark MLB Database. The Yankees are 6-2 in their last eight games against the Mets since going 0-6 in their previous six against them.
The Yankees came out of the All-Star break on an 8-4 run, but it wasn't enough to help close the gap in the brutal AL East. The Yankees have lost four straight games, and made the prudent move last week of trading closer Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs for prospects.
Ranking 19th in baseball among starting pitchers with an ERA of 4.63 and 23rd in offensive production with 4.03 runs per game, the Yankees don’t appear to have the depth to be a postseason contender in 2016.
The hatred between these two rivals and both teams still being within striking distance of a wild card spot should pave the way for an intense four-game swing. Tuesday pits Masahiro Tanaka against Jacob deGrom before the series shifts to Yankee Stadium on Wednesday for Ivan Nova vs. Steven Matz followed by Nathan Eovaldi vs. Bartolo Colon on Thursday.
