New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants Odds, Pick, Prediction 8/16/21

The New York Mets head to Oracle Park in San Francisco on Monday night to meet the Giants for the first time since 2019. These two National League foes start a three-game set in California, so we’ve prepared the best Mets vs. Giants betting pick and odds.

The Giants are listed at -172 moneyline odds to win Monday’s opener, while the Mets are +158 road dogs with a total of 8.0 runs on BetOnline Sportsbook. With both teams fighting for the playoffs, we’re expecting a great battle Monday with the first pitch at 9:45 PM ET.

The Mets were trying to avoid a sweep on Sunday night 

The New York Mets enter the Giants series off a three-game home set against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’ve suffered a couple of tough losses in the first two contests, 6-5 and 2-1, and were looking to avoid a sweep in Sunday night’s closer.

The 59-57 Mets were third in the NL East on Sunday, trailing 1.5 games behind Atlanta and Philadelphia. They’ve lost nine of their first 13 games in August, scoring just 43 runs in the process on a disappointing .219/.297/.348 triple-slash.

Tonight’s 9️⃣. #LGM pic.twitter.com/jW51G42vdZ

— New York Mets (@Mets) August 15, 2021

The Mets are sporting a 4.29 ERA in August and need more from their pitching staff. New York’s relievers have registered a 3.77 ERA and 3.69 FIP over the last couple of weeks. Rich Hill will get the nod Monday, and the 41-year-old lefty has a pedestrian 5.00 ERA in three starts and one relief appearance with the Mets in 2021.

The Giants stopped their six-game win streak on Saturday

The San Francisco Giants fell to 75-42 on the season following a surprising 4-1 defeat to the Colorado Rockies this past Saturday. Their six-game winning streak came to an end, but the Giants were still topping the NL West with the best record in the Majors.

Over the last two weeks, the Giants have recorded the fourth-lowest ERA in baseball (3.08) to go with a 1.15 WHIP and a .222 batting average against. They’ve won ten of their first 13 games in August while scoring 72 runs in the process and compiling a .256/.318/.448 batting line.

ROSTER MOVES: RHP Jay Jackson reinstated from the Injured List.

LHP Sammy Long optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

OF Luis González recalled from Triple-A Sacramento and placed on the 60-day Major League Injured List (right shoulder surgery to repair torn labrum).

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 15, 2021

Kevin Gausman will take the mound Monday against the Mets, searching for his third straight victory. In his first two starts in August, the 30-year-old righty has outclassed the Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing just a couple of earned runs through 11 innings of work. Gausman had a shaky July, but he’s 11-5 with a shiny 2.29 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 162/43 K/BB ratio in 23 starts this season.

Trends:

NY Mets:

• 4-9 in the last 13 games overall
• 1-6 in the last seven games on the road

San Francisco:

• 11-3 in the last 14 games overall
• 13-5 in the last 18 games against the NL East 

New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants Pick

The Giants should have a huge advantage on the mound, as their bullpen has registered a 2.20 ERA and 3.13 FIP over the last two weeks. The Mets have struggled mightily at the dish lately, so betting on the hosts seems like the way to go in this matchup.

Furthermore, the Mets will have to take a long trip following their Sunday night’s home clash against the Dodgers, while the Giants will continue their nine-game homestand.

The Total:

The current Giants are slashing .265/.320/.391 against Rich Hill, while Buster Posey has ten hits in 20 at-bats against the veteran lefty. Hill will be a key factor for the Mets, as the visitors will probably struggle to hit well against Kevin Gausman and the Giants’ in-form bullpen.

The current Mets have recorded a .547 OPS in 72 at-bats against Gausman. New York’s last four road tilts went in the under, but six of the Giants’ last nine games saw more than eight runs on the scoreboard, so the hosts remain my best pick.