The series is on the line as the Philadelphia Phillies host the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday after the teams split their first two clashes this weekend.
The Mets won the first game after the All-Star break 4-1, but the Phillies struck back on Saturday with a 6-1 home victory.
The Phillies are second in the National League East with a 55-44 record while the Mets are bottom of the divisional standings at 41-58, but they have two wins each in their last four meetings this season.
Philadelphia will be sending right-handed pitcher Alan Rangel to the hill for the final game of the series, while the Mets are giving the ball to another righty in Nolan McLean.
Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets Tips Summary
Best Bet - Mets money line @ 8/11
Alternative Bet - Nolan McLean 7+ strikeouts @ 21/20
Bet Builder - Over 4.5 NY Mets runs, A run in the 1st inning - Yes, Brett Baty 1+ hits @ 7/2
Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets Prediction
Best Bet: New York Mets money line @ 8/11
The New York Mets are 14 wins behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East after two games following the All-Star break but they have a decent chance of reducing that gap by one and clinching a 2-1 series win at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday.
The teams have shared the honours in the first two games and they are also in similar recent form overall, each having posted five wins and five losses in their last 10 games.
The edge in the pitching match-up clearly looks to belong to the visitors today, though, as the Phillies are starting the unconvincing Alan Rangel, who has a 0-2 record this season and recently returned from a spell with minor league side Lehigh Valley.
Philadelphia have lost the two games he started this season by 6-1 and 11-5 and he didn't last more than four innings in either contest, giving up three earned runs in just 3.1 innings in his latest start against the Cincinnati Reds.
Mets' starter Nolan McLean has a 6-6 record and is the more reliable pitcher, and despite the Phillies' stronger effort on Saturday, the Mets' hitters have been in better form generally, averaging 5.1 runs over their last 10 outings compared to 3.1 for the home side.
Alternative Bet: Nolan McLean 7+ strikeouts @ 21/20
McLean has a strong strikeout rate of 27.9 per cent and that makes for a promising match-up against an aggressive Philly line-up who have the seventh-highest strikeout figure in the league with an average of 8.8 per game.
That makes McLean worth backing to have seven or more Ks in Sunday's contest after posting 125 so far this season.
He has registered more quality starts than any other Mets pitcher this season, with 10 in 19 games, and has had seven or more strikeouts in four of his last five games, lasting at least six innings each time.
Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets Bet Builder Tip
Over 4.5 NY Mets runs
A run in the 1st inning - Yes
Brett Baty 1+ hits
Pays 7/2
Start a three-leg bet builder for Sunday's NL East game in Philadelphia by taking the Mets to score at least five runs in what might be the highest-scoring contest of the series so far.
Rangel will be under pressure to impress and his confidence could be low after a rocky start to his MLB career. If he can't hold things down for long, the Philly bullpen should not worry the Mets hitters too much.
The hitting could get started early, so take a run to be scored in the first inning. The first run didn't arrive until the third inning in the series opener, but the teams were quicker out of the blocks on Saturday, with the Phillies scoring twice in the first inning before the Mets hit back in the second.
Add Brett Baty to have at least one hit for the Mets. Baty had two hits in the first game of the series before being left out of Saturday's contest as the team do not like him facing left-handed pitchers. He should be back in the line-up against the right-handed Rangel and can get on base again.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
The Mets have secured 20 of their 41 wins this season on the road
At least one team has scored four or more runs in the teams' last four meetings
Home runs have been scored in six of the teams' eight encounters this season
The Phillies are 26-22 at home this season
Both teams have a 5-5 record over their last 10 games
Tactics, Form and Team News
The Mets could recall Brett Baty after he was left out of Saturday's defeat in favour of Eric Wagaman. Juan Soto was able to play on Saturday despite leaving Thursday's game early due to a sore calf.
The Phillies are still missing Adolis Garcia, Brad Keller, Tanner Banks and Lou Trivino due to injuries.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
