The Los Angeles Dodgers will pay its first visit of the season to Citi Field this Tuesday night for the first of three games against the New York Mets. Game 1 is set to get underway at 7:10 p.m. (ET), and it will be available on MLB Extra Innings.

The Dodgers got in a little Interleague Play this past weekend with a three-game set against Baltimore but needed a 7-4 victory on Sunday as +115 road underdogs to avoid a sweep. They are now 4-5 on the road this season, and the total has gone “over” in five of their last six games overall.

New York took two of three from Washington at home over the weekend to improve to 9-8 on the year. It has gone 6-3 at Citi Field so far, and the total has gone over in eight of their last 10 games, including two of the three contests against the Nationals.

Dodgers at Mets Betting Storylines

This is not the kind of start that Los Angeles envisioned when it opened the regular season as most sportsbooks odds-on favorite to not just win the NL West this season but the entire National League. Overall, it is 8-10 and already five games behind surprising Colorado in the division standings. The Dodgers find themselves ranked next to last in the Majors in total runs despite all the firepower in their lineup. They are putting the ball in play with a team batting average of .256 but having a serious problem converting this production into runs.

LA will send its ace Clayton Kershaw to the mound on Tuesday night try and gain the early edge in this series. The left-hander was tagged for three home runs his last time out against San Diego while issuing four walks in just over five innings of work. Overall in four previous starts, he is 2-2 with an ERA of 1.88. Lifetime against the Mets, Kershaw is 5-0 with a 1.37 ERA.

New York has to be somewhat happy with its 9-8 start that has it 3.5 games out of first place in the NL East. Behind a strong offensive effort that is averaging 5.82 runs per game, the Mets have been able to cover for a pitching staff that is ranked 11 in the NL with a team ERA of 4.27. Some of the hottest bats belong to John Buck (22 RBI and seven home runs) along with David Wright and Daniel Murphy, who have combined to drive in 26 runs so far.

The Mets will counter with a lefty of their own in Tuesday’s series opener with Jon Niece getting the start. This will be his fifth start of the new season, and he comes in with a 2-1 record behind a 3.80 ERA. His last time out he allowed three earned runs on nine hits in six innings of work and got tagged with a loss to Colorado. Against Los Angeles, Niece is 1-0 with a 4.12 ERA. 

Dodgers at Mets Betting Odds and Trends

Los Angeles has been opened by BetOnline as a -149 road favorite on the money line with the Mets listed as +139 home underdogs. The “over/under” for this game has been set at 6.5.

The Dodgers are 6-0 in Kershaw’s last six starts against the NL East and 24-9 in Game 1 of his last 33 starts in a series opener. The total has stayed under in seven of their last nine games following a win.

The Mets are 5-0 in Niece’s last five starts in Game 1 of a new series but just 2-6 in his last eight starts against the NL West. The total has gone over in Game 1 of their last six series.

Los Angeles is 4-0 in the last four meetings between the two in New York and a perfect 6-0 in Kershaw’s last six starts against the Mets. The road team has won eight of the last 10 meetings, and the total has gone over in five of the last six games.

Dodgers at Mets Picks and Betting Predictions

Current team form would give the slight edge to New York in this matchup, especially playing this game at home, but the fact that Kershaw will be on the mound more than negates any perceived advantage. Look for the lefty to extend his winning streak against the Mets with another victory on Tuesday night.

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Read more articles by Dave Schwab