DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>. The Marlins are +109 underdogs, with the game total set at O\/U nine runs.<\/p>\nMarlins vs. Mets Preview<\/p>\n
Miami Marlins<\/p>\n
The Marlins couldn\u2019t have started the second half of 2026 on a worse note, dropping nine straight games after the All-Star break. They bounced back with a three-game sweep of the Phillies, but they\u2019ve lost significant ground and now find themselves 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.<\/p>\n
Miami ranks 23rd in wRC+ and 24th in xwOBA since the Midsummer Classic, though the team\u2019s blossoming young core seems to be recovering its rhythm. Kyle Stowers has crushed four home runs in his last six games \u2014 including both matchups against the Mets \u2014 while Griffin Conine has gone deep twice over his last five.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the club\u2019s pitching staff, particularly its bullpen, has largely unraveled. While it has performed well enough in the first two matchups in New York, the Marlins\u2019 arm barn ranks 29th in ERA (5.98) since the break.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s starter, right-hander Tyler Phillips, has performed well in 2026 with a 3.52 ERA across 27 appearances (11 starts). He\u2019s also performed well against the Mets, allowing three earned runs over two appearances (8.2 IP).\u00a0 Still, the 28-year-old\u2019s underlying metrics \u2014 a 4.71 xERA, a .257 xBA, and a 42.8 percent hard-hit rate \u2014 forecast a serious second-half regression. With a compromised bullpen, Miami will hope the dam can hold for another start.<\/p>\n
New York Mets<\/p>\n
The Mets can\u2019t catch a break. Right when the offense was starting to turn around \u2014 ranking 13th in wRC+ and wOBA since the All-Star break \u2014 superstar slugger Juan Soto landed on the 10-day IL with another calf strain. The Amazins, who have been anything but in 2026, are staked to the fourth-worst record in baseball and find themselves a whopping 10.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even so, New York\u2019s pitching staff has quietly become one of the hottest in the sport. Backed by a lights-out bullpen, the team leads MLB in ERA (2.84) since the beginning of the second half.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A key factor in that success has been young southpaw Zac Thornton. The Mets\u2019 No. 12 prospect, 24, has posted an incredible 2.43 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP in his first five MLB starts (29.2 IP). However, Thornton has seemingly benefitted from some, let\u2019s say, beginner\u2019s luck, also posting a 4.55 xERA, a .265 xBA, and a 44.4 percent hard-hit rate. He\u2019ll aim to fend off a seemingly inevitable regression once again on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Marlins vs. Mets Pick, Best Bet<\/p>\n
Despite their slow start to the second half, the Marlins remain a much more formidable team than the Mets \u2014 especially without Juan Soto. With both Tyler Phillips and Zac Thornton facing potential declines, Miami\u2019s superior offense should be the one to capitalize. With plus odds, the Marlins offer tantalizing value to upset the lowly Mets in Flushing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Best Bet: Miami Marlins Moneyline (+109)\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the 2026 MLB campaign rolls into August, the Miami Marlins and the National League East rival New…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":360195,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[146483,123,125,3822,124,3817,12193,146484],"class_list":["post-360194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-draftkings-sportsbook-insights","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-marlins","tag-miami-news","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-sports-betting-picks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/360195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}