Kansas City Royals at New York Mets World Series Game 4 Odds Analysis
Series Standing: Royals lead series 2-1 Starting Pitchers: Chris Young vs. Steven Matz Venue: Citi Field, Flushing, New York Date: Saturday, October 31, 2015 Time: 8:07 PM ET TV: FOX MLB Lines: KC Royals (+135) at NY Mets (-145), OVER/UNDER (7.5)
#Royals‘ bargain buy Chris Young can swing #WorldSeries in Game 4 @jonmorosi: https://t.co/5RpUBZFOLq
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 31, 2015
After falling down two games to none, the Mets showed character, securing a resounding 9-3 win in Game 3 on Friday. Often, home crowds aren’t much of a factor in baseball betting like in other sports, but going by the way the Mets fed off their hearty support at Citi Field, it is scary to think how that crowd is likely to frustrate KC once again tonight.
That said, the pressure of losing one game on the road and the prospect of facing a tough crowd is nothing new to the Royals. They have been in this position severally and ended up doing just fine.
Plus, the Royals will have one of their most trusted starters taking to the mound in Chris Young. The veteran pitcher, a former Met, was the star of the show in Game 1 of this series, being called in emergency relief and pitching three scoreless innings to give KC the victory in a walk-off fashion in the 14th. In that brief stint on the field, the Mets were helpless against Young, as he dazzled them with his unique ability to change eye levels and speeds. The same kind of performance can therefore be expected from him in Game 4.
The Mets can, however, take comfort in the fact that they know his pitching style and can prepare for it more adeptly when they face him tonight. Apart from that, the Mets will need their own starter, Steven Matz, to get going in a good way. Matz has been a questionable player on the mound and his inexperience could work against him when he faces a veteran-led KC squad. The young lefty has a 3.72 ERA and is yet to go more than five innings in a start in his 9.2 postseason innings. Nonetheless, he could be due for a good game, as he will be going against a KC team that has multiple lefty hitters.
In addition, Young can only go a maximum of six inning on the hill since he already pitched the three innings in Game 1. This could also be an added advantage to the Mets, who are likely to go it hard against the Royals’ bullpen once Young is out of the game.
As you’d expect, both offenses will have a role to play in this game, but of most importance will be the players who take to the mound, so the game is likely to go to the team with the best pitching staff.