Friday's rescheduled MLB Opening Day matchup will pit the Milwaukee Brewers against the New York Mets in a battle between National League contenders at Citi Field in New York. Thursday's game was postponed by rain. The Brewers (92-70 in 2023), who won the Central Division by nine games over the Chicago Cubs, traded away ace Corbin Burnes over the offseason and won't have closer Devin Williams due to a back injury. The Mets (75-87 in 2023), who were a distant fourth in the East Division, have also made numerous changes to their pitching staff. The biggest improvement, however, will be the healthy return of closer Edwin Diaz, the anchor of the bullpen.
The game will start at 1:40 p.m. ET. The Brewers had MLB's best pitching staff in 2023 with a 3.71 ERA, while the Mets were 19th at 4.30. New York is the slight -114 favorite (risk $114 to win $100) on the money line in the latest Mets vs. Brewers odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total runs scored is 7.5. Before making any Brewers vs. Mets picks, be sure to see the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It is coming off a profitable 93-74 season on top-rated MLB picks, and it excelled on top-rated run-line picks, going 18-6 (+766). Anybody following has seen big returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Brewers vs. Mets and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Brewers vs. Mets:
- Mets vs. Brewers money line: New York -114, Milwaukee -106
- Mets vs. Brewers over/under: 7.5 runs
- Mets vs. Brewers run line: Milwaukee -1.5 (+161)
- MIL: The Brewers finished last season with a plus-81 run differential
- NYM: The Mets have won two of the last three home series against Milwaukee
- Mets vs. Brewers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back the Mets
New York will send left-hander Jose Quintana to the mound. The 35-year-old has been Milwaukee's nemesis through the years, boasting a 9-5 record against the Brewers in 19 starts and 20 appearances. In 113 innings against Milwaukee, he has a 3.11 ERA, while walking 32 batters and striking out 114. He has allowed 87 hits and just 39 earned runs. In 11 previous seasons, Quintana has pitched in 328 games, including 302 starts and compiled a 92-93 record and 3.57 ERA.
First baseman Pete Alonso supplies the power for New York. He led the team with 46 homers and added 118 RBI and 92 runs scored a year ago. It was the third time in his five-year career he had 40 or more homers. In 25 career games against the Brewers, he has six homers and 18 RBIs with three doubles and one triple. See which team to pick here.
Why you should back the Brewers
Milwaukee, which will have Freddy Peralta on the mound, lost one of its power hitters late in spring training when outfielder Garrett Mitchell broke his left hand over the weekend after being jammed on a swing. He is expected to miss close to two months. In his place, however, will be a group of youngsters vying for playing time with tons of potential. One of those is the 20-year-old Jackson Chourio, who is being penciled in at center field. Although he has played just six games above the Double-A level, Milwaukee signed him to a big contract over the offseason. Last year at Double-A Biloxi, he hit .280 with 22 homers, three triples, 23 doubles and 89 RBI in 122 games.
The Brewers also added a veteran presence in former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who missed all of last year with an ACL injury. Milwaukee signed him as a free agent this past offseason as they hope he continues where he left off in 2022. In his six seasons prior to the injury, Hoskins played in 667 games for the Phillies, batting .242 with 148 homers, 149 doubles, seven triples and 405 RBIs. He hit 30 homers in 2022, while driving in 79 runs. See which team to pick here.
How to make Brewers vs. Mets picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 8.6 combined runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value and it has revealed an A-rated pick on the run line. You can only get the model's MLB picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Brewers vs. Mets, and which side should you back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that went 18-6 on top-rated MLB run-line picks last season, and find out.
