by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Time: 3:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
Where to watch: SNY, NBC Sports Bay Area
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: NL
Season record (entering Monday)
Mets: 28-15
Giants: 22-18
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Mets - Giants preview and analysis
Joc Pederson. Where on Earth did he come from? I mean, I know he had the ability to hit balls very far, but when in the world did we ever think of the former Dodgers outfielder as someone who could singlehandedly flip a game on its side?
Apparently, that's what he did for the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. The slugger hit three home runs in the game, and drove in eight RBI, as the Giants came from behind to win 13-12 over the New York Mets.
Pederson has never been one to hit for contact and be that .300-type hitter. He will hit a lot of homers. And on this night, he turned to a little chat with Barry Bonds, and suddenly stole his powers for a night.
"Just getting knowledge from such a good hitter and the way he thinks about baseball and hitting, it just helped to connect some dots to free my mind up at the plate," Pederson said. "I'm not ever going to be Barry Bonds. He's the best hitter to touch a bat. But it definitely helped free my mind up in the box."
The Giants had 19 hits to the Mets' 18, but when you look at the box score, it's a batter's dream. The Giants' first seven batters each had at least two hits, led by Pederson's four, and only designated hitter Tommy La Stella had more than one RBI.
Forget about trying to figure out which pitcher had the better time. Chris Bassitt gave up eight runs in 4.1 innings. Logan Webb was the better pitcher with only two earned runs in five innings. Giants reliever Tyler Rogers threw 25 pitches and gave up seven runs.
But what about Joc "Barry Bonds" Pederson?
"He was joking about it after his first one, about talking to Barry," Webb said of Pederson. "Then he hit the second, then he hit the third and it was like, man, this guy is something else. You're not going to cheat him with anything. He's trying to do that every at-bat."
We'll chalk this up to a bad day at the office for the Mets. Clearly this isn't an indication of how those guys played in a long stretch. They're still one of the best teams in the National League. But man, imagine just getting blitzed by Joc Pederson for a night.
That's no bueno. Especially when the man was 4-for-46 in May.
"He had a good night against us," Mets manager Buck Showalter said. "We missed a lot of locations with fastballs tonight. That's not the way we've been doing it for the most part, so tonight was a challenge for us."
Apparently, that's what he did for the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. The slugger hit three home runs in the game, and drove in eight RBI, as the Giants came from behind to win 13-12 over the New York Mets.
Pederson has never been one to hit for contact and be that .300-type hitter. He will hit a lot of homers. And on this night, he turned to a little chat with Barry Bonds, and suddenly stole his powers for a night.
"Just getting knowledge from such a good hitter and the way he thinks about baseball and hitting, it just helped to connect some dots to free my mind up at the plate," Pederson said. "I'm not ever going to be Barry Bonds. He's the best hitter to touch a bat. But it definitely helped free my mind up in the box."
The Giants had 19 hits to the Mets' 18, but when you look at the box score, it's a batter's dream. The Giants' first seven batters each had at least two hits, led by Pederson's four, and only designated hitter Tommy La Stella had more than one RBI.
Forget about trying to figure out which pitcher had the better time. Chris Bassitt gave up eight runs in 4.1 innings. Logan Webb was the better pitcher with only two earned runs in five innings. Giants reliever Tyler Rogers threw 25 pitches and gave up seven runs.
But what about Joc "Barry Bonds" Pederson?
"He was joking about it after his first one, about talking to Barry," Webb said of Pederson. "Then he hit the second, then he hit the third and it was like, man, this guy is something else. You're not going to cheat him with anything. He's trying to do that every at-bat."
We'll chalk this up to a bad day at the office for the Mets. Clearly this isn't an indication of how those guys played in a long stretch. They're still one of the best teams in the National League. But man, imagine just getting blitzed by Joc Pederson for a night.
That's no bueno. Especially when the man was 4-for-46 in May.
"He had a good night against us," Mets manager Buck Showalter said. "We missed a lot of locations with fastballs tonight. That's not the way we've been doing it for the most part, so tonight was a challenge for us."
Prediction
This might be another bullpen game, at least from the standpoint of the Mets, but I do think they bounce back. I trust their bullpen right now, ultimately, over the Giants because there's no way I'm asking a pitcher to give up seven runs in one-third of an inning. Mets win 6-3
Betting trends
Mets are 8-2 this season on the road when the line is between +125 and -125.
Mets are 10-4 this season against NL West teams.
Giants are 7-7 against NL East teams this season.
Giants are 5-5 against left-handed starters this season.
Projected lineup
Mets:
Brandon Nimmo (L) CF
Francisco Lindor (S) SS
Jeff McNeil (L) 2B
Pete Alonso (R) 1B
Mark Canha (R) LF
J.D. Davis (R) DH
Luis Guillorme (L) 3B
Tomas Nido (R) C
Travis Jankowski (L) RF
SP - Thomas Szapucki
Brandon Nimmo (L) CF
Francisco Lindor (S) SS
Jeff McNeil (L) 2B
Pete Alonso (R) 1B
Mark Canha (R) LF
J.D. Davis (R) DH
Luis Guillorme (L) 3B
Tomas Nido (R) C
Travis Jankowski (L) RF
SP - Thomas Szapucki
Giants:
Austin Slater (R) CF
Darin Ruf (R) LF
Mike Yastrzemski (L) DH
Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
Evan Longoria (R) 3B
Brandon Crawford (L) SS
Thairo Estrada (R) 2B
Joey Bart (R) C
Luis Gonzalez (L) RF
SP - Jakob Junis
Austin Slater (R) CF
Darin Ruf (R) LF
Mike Yastrzemski (L) DH
Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
Evan Longoria (R) 3B
Brandon Crawford (L) SS
Thairo Estrada (R) 2B
Joey Bart (R) C
Luis Gonzalez (L) RF
SP - Jakob Junis
Statistical leaders
Mets:
Batting average: Jeff McNeil -- .323
Hits: Jeff McNeil -- 50
Home runs: Pete Alonso -- 11
RBI: Pete Alonso -- 41
Wins: Max Scherzer -- 5
Saves: Edwin Diaz -- 10
ERA: Max Scherzer -- 2.54
Giants:
Batting average: Thairo Estrada -- .272
Hits: Thairo Estrada -- 41
Home runs: Joc Pederson -- 10
RBI: Wilmer Flores -- 24
Wins: Logan Webb -- 5
Saves: Camilo Doval -- 7
ERA: Carlos Rodon -- 3.43
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
