New York Mets at Cleveland Guardians

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NYM	0	3	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	6	9	1
CLE	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	7	1

First pitch is 6:40 PM ET, and it's Sean Manaea against Joey Cantillo in what should be a legitimate pitchers' duel even with both records looking mediocre on paper. Cantillo has quietly been one of the more interesting arms in this rotation, and Manaea has actually owned this Guardians club going back to his Oakland days, so there's real intrigue buried under two teams going in opposite directions.

Show fees

FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Mets(47-66)

LLLWL

6

+1.5-178+122o7.5+115

Guardians(57-56)

WLLWL

2

-1.5+174-125u7.5-113

Best BetGuardians -156

Pregame

Cleveland's the right side here even after a rough stretch, mostly because of who's missing on the other dugout. New York without Soto and Vientos is a shell of the lineup that was supposed to contend this year, and Manaea's road ERA is notably worse than his overall number. The price isn't a gift, but the roster gap justifies laying the number.

The Mets are the story nobody in Queens wanted to write. New York fired Carlos Mendoza and installed Andy Green as interim manager after a brutal first half, and since then the roster hasn't found its footing — Juan Soto is out with a Grade 2 calf strain that could keep him sidelined into September, and Mark Vientos is also down with a fractured hand. Cleveland, meanwhile, spent Monday reshaping its roster on the fly, bringing in Jo Adell, Nathaniel Lowe and Foster Griffin to try to arrest a slide that's cost the Guardians first place in the AL Central.

Sean Manaea

(4-5)·4.22 ERA

Jul 29 vs Braves

ND

6.0IP

2ER

4K

2BB

89P

08/04 Lineup

Joey Cantillo

(9-7)·3.80 ERA

Jul 29 @ Reds

ND

4.0IP

0ER

8K

1BB

89P

08/04 Lineup

That's the tension here: a desperate buyer trying to integrate new faces immediately against a team with nothing left to play for but pride and reps for the kids. The board treats Cleveland as the clear favorite, and given where each roster is trending, that's not a hard read.

New York Mets

(47-66)

Aug 2Lvs Marlins0-2

Aug 1Lvs Marlins2-6

Jul 31Lvs Marlins2-5

Jul 30Wvs Marlins4-2

Jul 29Lvs Braves0-1

Cleveland Guardians

(57-56)

Aug 2Wvs Diamondbacks5-0

Aug 1Lvs Diamondbacks8-12

Jul 31Lvs Diamondbacks1-4

Jul 29W@ Reds6-1

Jul 28L@ Reds0-2

Look at the shape of each team's last five and the gap makes sense. New York dropped 4 of 5 in a home series against Miami, including a shutout, and hasn't strung together any real momentum in weeks. Cleveland's stretch is uglier on the surface — losers of 8 of their last 11 — but two of those losses were track-meet type games against Arizona sandwiched around a 5-0 shutout of their own, and the new pieces should sharpen a lineup that was already good enough to hold a playoff spot.

New York Mets

(8)

• 10-Day-ILJuan Soto (LF) — The Mets placed Soto (calf) on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a strained left calf.07/25
• 10-Day-ILMark Vientos (1B) — Mets interim manager Andy Green said Thursday that Vientos has been diagnosed with a fractured right hand and will be placed on the 10-day injured list, Chelsea Janes of SNY.tv reports.07/10
• 15-Day-ILCionel Perez (RP) — The Mets placed Perez on the 15-day injured list Friday with a left forearm strain.07/31
• 15-Day-ILAustin Warren (RP)
• 60-Day-ILJustin Hagenman (RP) — The Mets announced June 1 that Hagenman (rib) has yet to resume a throwing program, MLB.com reports.07/13
• 60-Day-ILDedniel Nunez (RP) — Nunez (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie on Thursday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.06/25
• 60-Day-ILReed Garrett (RP) — The Mets placed Garrett (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
• 60-Day-ILTylor Megill (SP) — The Mets placed Megill (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.05/08

Cleveland Guardians

(1)

• 15-Day-ILShawn Armstrong (RP) — The Guardians reinstated Armstrong (groin) from the 15-day injured list Monday.07/25

The injury gap tells the same story from a different angle. Cleveland's list is basically empty — Shawn Armstrong is already back off the IL. New York's is a mess: two bullpen arms down, a middle-of-the-order bat in Vientos out, and Soto, the $765 million anchor of this whole roster, not walking through that clubhouse door anytime soon. Cantillo gets to attack a lineup that's missing its two best hitters, which is about as favorable a spot as a starter gets in August.