The Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets clash Tuesday in game 2 of an MLB series at Citi Field. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview

The Pirates need a win after losing 5 of their last 7 games. The Pirates are now 9.5 games back in the NL wild card. The Pirates pitching staff is 22nd in ERA (4.56), 24th in WHIP (1.40) and 13th in quality starts (43). The Pirates’ offense is 24th in runs per game (4.18), 26th in batting average (.235) and 23rd in homers (119). Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 109 hits and 56 RBI, while Andrew McCutchen and Ke’Bryan Hayes have combined for 170 hits and 75 RBI. Bailey Falter gets the ball, and he is 0-7 with a 5.21 ERA and 33 strikeouts this season. Falter is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA and 6 strikeouts in his career against the Mets.

Pittsburgh Pirates Team Facts

• The Pirates have won each of their last six games as underdogs following a road loss.
• The Pirates have covered the run line in each of their last seven games following a road loss.
• The Pirates have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last seven games at Citi Field.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Pirates’ last three night games.
• The Pirates have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last 10 games at Citi Field.

Pittsburgh Pirates Player Prop Facts

• Ke’Bryan Hayes has hit a home run in three of the Pirates’ last five night games.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last five appearances against NL East opponents.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes has recorded two or more hits in each of the Pirates’ last four games as underdogs.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes has recorded three or more total bases in each of the Pirates’ last four games as underdogs.
• Bryan Reynolds has scored at least one run in seven of the Pirates’ last eight games against NL East opponents.

New York Mets Betting Preview

The Mets look for a win after splitting their last 8 games. The Mets are now 8.5 games back in the NL wild card race. The Mets pitching staff is 21st in ERA (4.55), 22nd in WHIP (1.38) and 18th in quality starts (39). The Mets offense is 22nd in runs per game (4.30), 24th in batting average (.236) and 11th in homers (144). Brandon Nimmo leads the Mets with 111 hits and 47 RBI, while Jeff McNeil and Francisco Lindor have combined for 216 hits and 109 RBI. David Peterson gets the ball, and he is 3-7 with a 5.61 ERA and 74 strikeouts this season. This will be Peterson’s second career game against the Pirates.

New York Mets Team Facts

• The favorites have won each of the last 10 games between the Pirates and Mets.
• The Mets have covered the run line in seven of their last eight games as favorites against the Pirates.
• The Mets have led after 5 innings in each of their last seven games against the Pirates at Citi Field.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Mets’ last four games as home favorites.
• The Mets have led after 3 innings in each of their last 10 games against the Pirates at Citi Field.

New York Mets Player Prop Facts

• Pete Alonso has hit at least one home run in three of the Mets’ last four games against NL Central opponents.
• Pete Alonso has recorded at least one RBI in 10 of his last 11 appearances in night games against NL Central teams that held a losing record.
• Francisco Lindor has recorded three or more total bases in each of the Mets’ last four games as home favorites.
• Francisco Lindor has scored at least one run in each of the Mets’ last five games as home favorites.
• Jeff McNeil has recorded at least one hit in each of the Mets’ last nine home games.
• Pete Alonso ranks 3rd in the league in Home Runs (35) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The New York Mets ranks 29th in the league for doubles this season (160).
• The New York Mets ranks 4th in the league for strikeouts against this season (938).
• The Pittsburgh Pirates ranks T27th in the league for hits this season (924).
• The Pittsburgh Pirates ranks T5th in the league for triples this season (21).

Randy’s Pick

I’m not running to the window to back either of these teams or these struggling pitchers. Bailey Falter and David Peterson both have ERA’s well over 5 and WHIP’s over 1.50. With that said, somebody has to win, and that’s where I lean toward the Mets because they’ve won 50 percent of their last 8 games and have a chance to win three straight. The Pirates are in worse shape and their offense is below the Mets. At home, the Mets should win this game. Of course, that doesn’t mean much. Still, the price is cheap. Give me the Mets.