The New York Mets picked up a much-needed victory in Game 3 of the 2015 World Series on Friday night. Not only did they cut the Kansas City Royals’ series lead to 2-1, but their offense’s signs of life bode well for the rest of the Fall Classic.
Now the focus shifts to Game 4. Any positive vibes gained by the Mets can quickly get erased Saturday if the Royals are able to get a bounce-back win. Falling behind 3-1 with only a single home game left would make it an uphill battle once again for the National League champions.
Let’s check out all of the important viewing information for the series’ fourth battle. That’s followed by a look at the odds along with a game preview and prediction.
Game 4 Details
Where: Citi Field in Queens, New York
When: Saturday, Oct. 31, at 8:07 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Odds
Preview
At this stage, every game of the series vastly changes the outlook for both teams.
If the Royals had won Game 3, the question basically would’ve changed from if they are going to win the World Series to when it will happen. Instead, the Mets got the victory and are now favored to level the Fall Classic at two Saturday night, which would make it a three-game series for the title.
Longtime Mets fans may get the feeling they’ve seen this story somewhere before. Fox Sports 1 provided some eerily similar numbers to back that up:
New York will win by four Saturday night if the pattern holds.
More importantly, third baseman David Wright, who jump-started the offense with a first-inning home run, thought they got back to playing the right type of baseball, as noted by Ed Payne of CNN.
“To be able to fight back the way that we did, we were relentless tonight,” Wright said. “And it seemed like every time they had an answer, we had an answer right back. And I think that’s the type of baseball that got us here.”
The Mets will send Steven Matz to the mound with hope he can help continue that positive trend. He’s given up four runs in 9.2 innings (3.72 ERA) in two playoff starts after going 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA in six starts during the regular season.
He’ll be opposed by Chris Young, who picked up the victory in the Game 1 marathon with three scoreless innings of work. The veteran right-hander posted a 3.06 ERA during the regular season and has carried that success into the playoffs with a 2.31 ERA in three games.
So there really isn’t a clear advantage in the pitching matchup. The numbers are similar, and any intangible edge gained from Young’s experience compared to his rookie counterpart is offset by the fact the Mets have already seen him in the series.
That means Game 4 will come down to clutch hitting.
The Royals have proved they are capable of grinding out runs unlike any other team in the league. They make consistent contact and keep their strikeout rate low, which puts a lot of pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses.
That said, the Mets finally flashed their offensive muscle in Game 3. If they can get Wright, Curtis Granderson, Daniel Murphy and Yoenis Cespedes going at the same time, a process that started Friday night, this series is going to turn around in a major way.
It will be interesting to watch the various storylines play out in the days ahead. In the short term, look for New York to level the series with a narrow victory in Game 4.
Prediction: Mets 5, Royals 4
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