Mets vs. Giants prediction and odds for Friday, April 21 (Mets keep riding Nimmo's hot bat in San Fran)

The starting rotation for the New York Mets took another hit yesterday in their 9-4 win over the San Francisco Giants out at Oracle Park.

Max Scherzer was ejected and suspended for the use of a stick substance, and the Mets really didn’t need to lose another starting pitcher. Today, they’re already giving Joey Lucchesi his first chance to pitch in the majors since 2021. The Giants will go with Anthony DeSclafani. 

The Mets are 13-7 after that win yesterday and the Giants are 6-12. Now, for Game 2 of this four-game series, the Mets are slight underdogs with Lucchesi making his debut.

DeSclafani is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three starts this season. Here are the odds:

Mets vs. Giants odds, run line and total

Mets vs. Giants prediction and pick

Lucchesi is a wild card element to this game. We haven't seen him since 2021, so who knows what to expect when he pitches. He does have one real advantage though and that’s being left-handed against the Giants. San Francisco is 29th in OPS against left-handed pitching this season with a .593 OPS and only five home runs off of left-handers in 209 at-bats. 

On the other side, DeSclafani has been fantastic this season with a 1.42 ERA and a 2.34 FIP which doesn’t point to any serious regression. The concern for the Giants comes when DeSclafani is done for the day. The San Fran bullpen is 25th in the MLB in ERA with a 5.40.

The Mets have the sixth best OPS in baseball over the past week and that’s behind Brandon Nimmo’s hot streak. He has 16 hits in the past seven games with four doubles and a home run.

That all adds up to a 1.313 OPS. The Mets are clearly the better team and I don’t think it matters that San Fran has an advantage on the mound to start the game. If I can get the Mets as an underdog in this spot then I love that value. 

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change