Mets vs. Giants prediction, odds: MLB picks, best bets Thursday

The Mets head further west on their road trip to face the Giants in the Golden State on Thursday night for the first of a four-game set.

Carlos Mendoza taps on David Peterson for his second start of the season to take on a light-hitting Giants squad in a pitcher-friendly ballpark.

San Francisco’s bats entered Wednesday having been about as silent as a mouse, making barely a peep through five games.

The Giants have tallied just 13 runs, the fourth-fewest total in baseball, and their 2.6 runs scored per game was the second-worst mark in the National League.

The Mets are about middle of the pack offensively so far, scoring 22 runs through five games before Wednesday’s series finale against the Cardinals.

San Francisco counters with left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray, who could pose some issues for the Mets as they hit a terrible .236 against southpaws last year.

Things haven’t improved this season, hitting .236 in the opening few games of the season prior to facing southpaw Matthew Liberatore on Wednesday.

Mets vs. Giants prediction

The Mets, oddly, have historically struggled to hit Ray, although he is not the same pitcher he used to be.

Juan Soto is 1-for-10 against Ray, as is Luis Robert Jr., although that information isn’t the most helpful since considering Ray is no longer close to his former Cy-Young winning form.

Having said that, heading west does have its advantages in the offensive realm, as generally the ball carries off the bat farther when the weather is warmer.

David Peterson faces Robbie Ray in a southpaw vs. southpaw matchup on Thursday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The total for this game comes in at 7.0 at the time of writing, which is a pretty low score total considering both of these starters are backend starters.

I’m going to fade the pitchers in this spot and expect some offensive prowess between the two lineups.

Seven runs is a really low total, especially for a Mets offense that entered the season projected to be among the best in baseball.

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One of the most popular bets in baseball is Yes/No Runs First Inning (YRFI/NRFI) and I’m targeting the “Yes” side Thursday night at plus-money.

As for another player to go after, I love the idea of betting on Robert Jr. in this spot, considering he’s a fastball hitter against a fastball pitcher and he smashes lefties.

Prediction: Yes Runs First Inning (+105, Kalshi) | Look for Robert Jr. props when released

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.