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It’s rivalry week in baseball, and I can’t say I completely understand what that looks like for some of these teams. The Toronto Blue Jays, for example, face the Detroit Tigers. Is it just because they are nearby? Or is it because Canada is too nice to have a real rival, so they just assigned them the Tigers?
Who knows. Regardless, we have an all-New York matchup and I think we get a good deal on one of the teams today.
Carlos Rodón of the New York Yankees reacts after the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida on August 19, 2025. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The New York Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball right now, and there’s not much reason to believe that will change as the year progresses. For the season, they are 28-17, but they have some problems on the road as they are only 14-11 away.
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However, if the Yankees maintain this pace, they expect to become a 100-win club. While that doesn’t guarantee anything, it should make it a likely host for the majority of the playoffs.
I’m sure there will be speed bumps and hiccups along the way, but it’s been smooth sailing so far and they’re looking to get stronger with guys like today’s starter returning to the club. Carlos Rodon will take to the track today and look to improve on his shaky first outing. Against the Brewers in his last start, he went 4.1 innings, allowing two hits, three earned runs and five walks.
Rides are the biggest concern for me, but maybe he was just taking his mechanics apart. Mets hitters did not have much success against Rodon, hitting just .215 over 65 at-bats.
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon throws during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium during the 2024 MLB playoffs. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but this was supposed to be a big year for the New York Mets. As an objective observer, I’ll at least give them credit for trying. There are a lot of big league clubs who don’t make any effort.
The problem is that throwing money at players doesn’t seem to translate the way it does for, say, the Dodgers. The team is 18-26 for the season, with exactly half of its wins and losses coming at home. Their hitting is rough, with just a .225 batting average, and they are in the bottom quarter of the league in runs scored.
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Their pitching has been reliable, but they just injured one of their starters. The crazy thing, to me, is that outside of Freddy Peralta, the Mets pitchers don’t have any names that you would really recognize. They nevertheless have good outings. Hitting is not enough.
Saturday will be a bullpen game for the club with Huascar Brazoban taking the mound to open it. The Mets have one of the best bullpens in the league, but I’m not rushing to the window to support them.
Juan Soto of the New York Mets reacts after hitting an RBI single in the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day at Citi Field in New York on March 26, 2026. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Saturday has the chance to be ugly for the Mets. Bullpen games can be interesting and they have become more and more popular over the years. I think this game is probably lower than the 8.5 points posted because the Mets can somewhat play matchups. I also think Rodon is talented and the Yankees have a good bullpen as well.
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I don’t feel extremely confident in either game, so I’m taking one unit and splitting it on the Yankees winning. And the other half of a unit will be below. The Yankees are a better club with more consistent hitting, and I think the pitchers should have the advantage overall.
For more news and sports betting, follow David on X/Twitter: @futurprez2024
