MLB - Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Mets

Those who bet on baseball will be watching closely as two of the pre-season favorites to make the World Series battle it out in interleague play on Friday night when the Tampa Bay Rays take on the New York Mets. The Rays are coming off of a 1 to 2 series loss to the Colorado Rockies. For their first game against the Mets, they send pitcher Andy Sonnanstine to the mound. Sonnanstine has had a fairly even year going 5 and 6 with a 6.65 ERA and a WHIP of 1.55

The Mets counter Sonnanstine with pitcher Fernandon Nieve. In his first start for the Mets, against the powerful New York Yankees, Nieve held the Yankees to 2 runs off of 4 hits in 6.2 innings of work. Nieve has a 2.08 ERA and a fantastic .81 WHIP.

Here is the betting line for this game according to BetUS online sportsbook:

Tampa Bay Rays
Andy Sonnanstine – R +1 ½ -225 -110 O 9 ½ -105 O/U 4 ½ -120/-110

New York Mets
Fernando Nieve – R -1 ½ +185 -110 U 9 ½ -115 O/U 4 ½ -120/-110

Here are a few MLB betting trends for this game:

The Tampa Bay Rays are 5 and 1 in their last 6 during game 1 of a series.

The Tampa Bay Rays are 1 and 4 in their last 5 interleague games versus a team with a winning record.

The New York Mets are 2 and 6 in their last 8 games overall.

The New York Mets are 1 and 4 in their last 5 games versus a right-handed starter.

It appears as if these two teams are evenly matched and at the plate they probably are, but on the mound there’s no question that in this game Fernando Nieve has a huge advantage.

The Rays just got beat in two out of three against the Colorado Rockies. Now, they face what most gamblers consider a superior team to Colorado in the New York Mets. Not only that but they face the Mets on the road.

What Nieve did versus the New York Yankees in his only start was amazing considering that the Yankees are one of the best hitting, if not the best, hitting teams in MLB. Now, he gets to face a somewhat less powerful hitting team.

Because his WHIP is so fantastic, and Sonnanstine’s isn’t close, Nieve should excel.

I’m going to take a big swing in this game and bet Fernando Nieve and the New York Mets on the run line at -1 ½ +185.

Check the latest MLB betting odds and lines now, and bet on the big game at BetUS.