Mets vs. Phillies prediction: MLB Saturday odds, picks, bets

The lowly Mets will continue their weekend series with the Phillies on Saturday. One day after sending manager Carlos Mendoza packing, the Mets will face right-hander Alan Rangel, who replaces the struggling Andrew Painter, who was pulled from their starting rotation earlier this month. Rangel, who is making his first start and just eighth big league appearance at 28 years old, isn’t expected to pitch deep into this game, but the Mets will at least get a turn or two through the lineup to get a look at him. While Rangel has been decent for Philly through eight innings this season, his minor league profile doesn’t instill much confidence. Over the past two seasons at the Triple-A level, Rangel has a 4.35 ERA, and he’s struggled big-time with the long ball, allowing 1.8 home runs per nine innings over that stretch. Rangel lacks the downward movement pitch like a two-seamer or sinker, relying instead on a four-seam fastball and changeup while mixing in a curveball and slider, leading to a lot of balls in the air. Despite their troubles of late, the Mets have quietly been hitting the ball out of the yard, homering 42 times over the last 30 days, which are the second-most in baseball over that stretch. That makes this a rare get-right spot post-Mendoza for a Mets lineup that has been hard to trust, but not completely punchless. Rangel doesn’t bring overpowering stuff, and with his fly-ball tendencies, even a mediocre offensive showing could be enough if New York runs into one or two mistakes.The play: Mets Over 4.5 runs (+110, Caesar’s Sportsbook)Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports.He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA....