MLB Betting - Rays Head To New York, But Not To Face The Yankees

US Open betting odds are the major play in the “Big Apple” right now, but there is also a very interesting baseball betting matchup to watch out for Queens. Tampa Bay is used to playing in New York as they’re in the same division as the Yankees, but they’ll get to see the other side when they head to Citi Field to meet the Mets, who are hoping for a return to form by their struggling ace.

Rays Mets odds - Saturday, June 19, 4:10 PM ET

James Shields (5-5, 3.52) will be making his 100^th career start, and he’ll hope that it goes better than No.99, although he managed to escape with a no-decision. Shields gave up four runs for the second straight outing, along with nine hits over 6.1 innings of a 5-4 win over Washington. The 27-year-old righthander is an innings-eater, as he is sixth in the American League in that category, but he’s been hit hard in his last two starts, and he’s 1-3 with 4.15 ERA on the road, which may scare off some who are making sports picks. This will also be his first career start against the Mets.

Johan Santana (8-4, 3.29) has given up 14 runs in his last 10 innings of work, and his performance in a 15-0 loss to the Yankees was as bad as anyone has ever seen from “Johan The Great”. The 30-year-old southpaw was nailed for nine runs on nine hits in just three innings, and he’s allowed homers in his last six starts, including five in the last two. He could be itching to get back to Citi Field, where he is 5-1 with a 2.14 ERA this season, which should give him the edge according to betting software. He’s made seven starts and 11 overall appearances against the Rays, going 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA.

Baseball betting odds should back the Mets at home, and we’ll find out in this outing if Santana is hurt, because it’s difficult to believe that a dominant pitcher like the two-time Cy Young winner can just go downhill so quickly. Shields hasn’t been awful, but he hasn’t looked like the guy who had 14 wins in 2008. The Rays will be wrapping up a road trip, just coming from Colorado, while the Mets are returning to home. Look for that to give them a betting edge, and take the Mets’ MLB odds on Saturday afternoon.