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It is rivalry week in baseball, and I can’t say I fully understand what that looks like for some of these teams. The Toronto Blue Jays, for example, are playing the Detroit Tigers. Is that just because they are in close proximity? Or, is it because Canada is too nice to have a real rival, so they just assigned them the Tigers?
Who knows. Either way, we have an all-New York matchup, and I think we get a good price on one of the teams today.
Carlos Rodón of the New York Yankees reacts following the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 19, 2025. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The New York Yankees are among the best teams in baseball at the moment, and there aren’t many reasons to believe that will change over the course of the year. For the season, they are sporting a 28-17 record, but they do have some road woes as they are just 14-11 away from home.
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If the Yankees keep up this pace, however, they are projecting to be a 100-win club. While that guarantees nothing, it should put them as a likely host for the majority of the postseason.
I’m sure there will be slumps and issues along the way, but so far it has been smooth sailing, and they look to get stronger with guys like today’s starter coming back to the club. Carlos Rodon will take the hill today and look to improve on his shaky first outing. Against the Brewers in his last start, he went 4.1 innings, allowed two hits, three earned runs and five walks.
The walks are the biggest concern to me, but maybe he was just getting his mechanics down. Mets hitters haven’t been very successful against Rodon, hitting just .215 over 65 at-bats.
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game one of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium in the 2024 MLB playoffs. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but this was supposed to be a big year for the New York Mets. As an objective observer, I will at least give them credit for trying. There are a lot of big league clubs that don’t put any effort.
The problem is that their throwing money at players doesn’t seem to translate the way it does for, say, the Dodgers. The team is 18-26 for the season, with exactly half of their wins and losses coming at home. Their hitting is rough, with just a .225 batting average, and they are in the bottom quarter of the league in runs scored.
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Their pitching has been reliable, but they did just get an injury to one of their starters. What’s crazy, to me, is outside of Freddy Peralta, the Mets’ pitching doesn’t have names you’d really recognize. However, they are turning in good outings. The hitting just doesn’t get it done.
Saturday will be a bullpen game for the club with Huascar Brazoban taking the mound to open it. The Mets do have one of the better bullpens in the league, but I’m not rushing to the window to back them.
Juan Soto of the New York Mets reacts after hitting an RBI single during the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day at Citi Field in New York City on March 26, 2026. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Saturday has the chance to be an ugly one for the Mets. Bullpen games can be good, and they’ve become increasingly popular over the years. I think this game likely goes under the 8.5 runs posted because the Mets can somewhat play the matchups. I also think Rodon is talented, and the Yankees also have a good bullpen.
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I don’t feel overwhelmingly confident in both plays, so I’m taking a unit and splitting it on the Yankees winning the game. And, the other half of a unit will be on the under. The Yankees are a better club with more consistent hitting, and I think the pitching should have the edge overall.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024