The New York Yankees, boasting the best record in the American League, are heading out on a nine-game West Coast road trip. The team is led by strong MVP contenders in Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, with a pitching staff that currently holds the best ERA in all of MLB at 2.92. On the other hand, the New York Mets are struggling to find any hope during a difficult start to the season. However, the debut of pitching prospect Christian Scott could potentially bring some optimism to Mets fans as he makes his fourth career start on Friday.
Scott has had a somewhat uneven start to his MLB career, posting an ERA of 4.32 after a tough outing in Miami last week. Despite this, there are positive signs that suggest he has the potential to succeed at the big-league level this season. With an expected ERA (xERA) of 3.14 and a fielding independent pitching (FIP) of 3.55, Scott’s four-pitch mix and Stuff+ rating of 103 indicate his capabilities as a pitcher. Facing a depleted Giants lineup, it is likely that Scott will bounce back and perform well in his upcoming outing.
In the matchup between the Giants and Mets, Scott is expected to outshine Giants starter Kyle Harrison, who has struggled with an xERA of 4.11 and a FIP of 3.86. Despite some recent success against weak pitching staffs, the absence of key players such as Jung Hoo Lee, Michael Conforto, and Nick Ahmed weakens the Giants lineup. With Scott looking to be a promising starter and Harrison faltering, the Mets are favored to win the first five innings of the game. This could be a good opportunity to back Scott before he gains full respect from oddsmakers.
The series opener between the Yankees and Padres features a matchup between Carlos Rodon and Yu Darvish, two of the hottest starters in the majors. Rodon has performed well with an ERA of 2.45 over his last three starts, despite allowing a high hard-hit rate. Darvish, on the other hand, has been dominant against elite offenses in his recent outings. However, the Yankees have been hitting well recently, with a 132 wRC+ over the last two weeks and a 127 wRC+ versus right-handed pitchers this season. Betting on over 7.5 total runs in this game presents a good opportunity to fade both starting pitchers as they face off against strong offenses.
