The New York Mets are set to host the San Diego Padres on Monday at Citi Field, beginning a three-game series.
The Mets enter the matchup following a sweep of the Washington Nationals, extending their strong second-half performance. The Padres recently had a six-game winning streak snapped by the Cleveland Guardians, after sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers.
Pitching for the Mets will be Nolan McLean (8-8, 3.42 ERA), who previously delivered a solid performance against the Padres in early June. In that outing, McLean pitched six innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and three walks, with five strikeouts. He is expected to utilize his sinker, which constitutes a significant portion of his pitch arsenal.
San Diego will counter with two-time World Series champion Walker Buehler (7-5, 4.88 ERA).
For the Mets to maintain their recent success, they will need to limit the impact of San Diego's lineup, including Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ty France. With Juan Soto currently on the injured list, Francisco Lindor has become a key offensive contributor for the Mets. Lindor has shown strong performance since the All-Star break, recently delivering a game-winning RBI single.
Lindor, who has a history of success against right-handed pitchers and has previously homered off Buehler, is projected to record over 1.5 total bases in the upcoming game. DraftKings has listed the Mets as -131 favorites, with the over/under set at 8.5 runs.