20th Sept - Mets vs Yankees

The New York Mets won’t relax until they’ve wrapped up a postseason place. There’s some concern that this team and its pitching staff aren’t built for this time of year. They haven’t been playing their best baseball of late, but they do still own a seven-game advantage on the Washington Nationals for the NL East title.

Matt Harvey has been at the centre of some controversy of late. Returning from injury, agent Scott Boras had put an innings limit on him for the season, which he is already very close to. He’s pitching for the first time in 12 days as the team tries to figure out how to keep their starter in game mode and fresh for the postseason.

He goes head to head with CC Sabathia, a man who has had a season to forget. The 35-year old did enjoyed his first scoreless outing of the season though going more than six innings in a win over the Tampa Bay Rays. He’s not the pitcher of his early Yankees career, but getting Sabathia to improve the consistency of his pitches is an important factor for New York as they continue to chase postseason baseball.

Alex Rodriguez isn’t likely to feature again, but a home run for Carlos Beltran and a big hit for Brian McCann was a big deal for the Yankees as they won Saturday’s match-up 5-0. They are three and a half games back from the Blue Jays in the AL East with a series starting in Toronto on Monday.

Three Reasons for Betting Tips

1. Beltran

When he hits well, he sets things up for this line-up. Beltran looked to have a good swing on Saturday and we like the possibility of him causing Harvey some problems today.

2. Too much Harvey talk

He hasn’t pitched in 12 days and there’s rampant speculation about how many innings he can pitch. It’s too much and it will cost the Mets on Sunday.

3. Like the line

The odds on a Yankees Money Line win look extremely good. On paper, Harvey v Sabathia ought to favour the home side, but we don’t think that’s the case here.