Mets vs Marlins Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 31 (Hitters Prosper at loanDepot Park on Friday)

Mets vs. Marlins Game Info

• Date: Friday, March 31, 2023
• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Venue: loanDepot Park -- Miami, FL
• Coverage: MLB Network, SNY and BSFL

The 2023 MLB season continues on Friday with an exciting NL East showdown between the New York Mets and Miami Marlins. This is the second meeting in a four-game series as the Mets came out on top by a score of 5-3 on Thursday. Veteran ace Max Scherzer earned his first victory of the season.

The Mets will send David Peterson (15-13 career record) to the mound on Friday night, while Miami will counter with Jesus Luzardo (3.32 ERA in 2022). In a division race that is expected to take the entire length of the regular season, will the Mets start 2-0 or will the Marlins get even with a win?

Mets vs. Marlins Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: NYM: (-110) | MIA: (-106)
• Spread: NYM: -1.5 (+146) | MIA: +1.5 (-178)
• Total: 7.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Mets enter this divisional matchup as slight road favorites on the moneyline at FanDuel Sportsbook. This game also has a projected total of 7.5 runs, which is average compared to the rest of Friday's MLB slate.

Mets vs. Marlins Betting Trends

• The Mets are 4-1 straight up in their last five games against Miami.
• The total has hit the over in five of the Mets' last six games.
• Miami is 2-8 straight up in its last 10 games on a Friday.
• The total has hit the under in four of Miami's last six home games.

Mets vs. Marlins Prediction & Pick

This is a much different matchup than the battle of aces that took place on Opening Day (Scherzer vs Sandy Alcantara). Peterson is only in the Mets' starting rotation due to injuries to Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana. Meanwhile, Luzardo is still looking to prove that he can be reliable out on the mound.

It's worth noting Peterson pitched well against the Marlins in 2022, posting a 2.50 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 18.0 innings (4 appearances). That's a much better stat line than Luzardo finished with against the Mets. The 25-year-old gave up 7 earned runs in 9.1 innings (2 starts) against New York last year.

The Mets not only have an advantage on the mound here, but they possess a more powerful lineup at the plate. Miami's roster is full of contact hitters like Jean Segura and Luis Araez, while New York's roster has sluggers like Pete Alonso ready to launch at any time. That will be evident on Friday night.

Final Score Prediction: Mets: 6 | Marlins: 3

Mets vs. Marlins Best Bet

The Mets and Marlins combined for 8 runs on Thursday despite having two former Cy Young winners on the mound. That bodes well for another high-scoring game tonight. The total has hit the over in each of the last seven meetings between New York and Miami. The over has cashed in 12 of the Mets' last 14 away games, too. Trust the trends in this one and back the stars to show up at loanDepot Park.

Bet: Over 7.5 Total Runs (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.