MLB odds: Phillies-Mets, Game 2

By Jordan Walters
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook

The opening game of the big NL East series between the Phillies and Mets couldn’t have gone worse for New York. Without closer Billy Wagner able to pitch, the Mets took a 5-2 lead into the ninth inning behind Johan Santana – and their relievers promptly allowed six runs to fall a game behind Philly in the division.

"[The medical staff] had been telling me I needed to take a day anyway," Wagner said. "I told them I still felt the spasm but I was willing to give it a go. But they said it's July, take a day. Maybe if it's September, it might be a little different.

"After seeing that, you can't help but . . . You hate not being out there."

Now, the Mets will tell you that it’s one game and Wednesday is another day, while the Phillies will say that type of win can energize a club for the final 60 games of the season. That victory also means the Phillies will spend a 51st day with at least a share of the top spot in the division. They got to first after beating Florida on June 1 and built a four-game cushion by June 13. That had been whittled away with a 13-18 skid.

The Phillies entered the game 3-7 against the Mets in 2008, and New York seemed to be riding a wave of momentum.

"It's one game," Philly’s Jimmy Rollins said. "We went up one game. It's a great way to do it, no doubt about that. It's a great place to get it done, but we have to come out there (Wednesday). We've been in a situation where we blew teams out, then turn around and lose seven in a row. We have to make sure that doesn't happen.”

That makes tonight’s game arguably much, much bigger for the Mets and their psyche than for the Phillies. Tuesday's loss was just the third in the last 14 games for the Mets, who had won three of four in Philadelphia earlier this month.

The good news for New York is that Wagner should be available after resting his sore shoulder.

"He got a day," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "I don't expect he will need [another] day."

John Maine (8-7, 4.22) looks to heal the wounds for the Mets on Wednesday. But he's 0-2 with a 6.63 ERA in his last four starts, and hasn't lasted into the sixth in three of those games. On the plus side, he is 4-0 with a 2.36 ERA vs. the Phillies in eight career starts.

 

Philadelphia starts Brett Myers (3-9, 5.84 ERA). Tonight could foreshadow whether Myers figures in Philly’s plans in the rotation for the rest of the season, as this is his first start since spending the last three weeks in the minors; he had just one win in the majors since April 17. If he’s bad again, he could be sent to the bullpen or back to Triple-A and Philly will need to acquire another pitcher.

"I can't think of a better team for me to come back against," Myers said. "I don't like them. We're not supposed to like them. Nothing against the guys on the team - they're our rivals."

Myers is 5-1 with a 4.83 ERA in nine career starts at Shea.

The Mets are -135 money line betting favorites tonight on WagerWeb.com