Mets vs. Dodgers prediction and odds for Tuesday, April 18 (Fade the stumbling Dodgers)

The New York Mets are desperately trying to keep pace with the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, and they sit just two games behind them at 11-6.

They took down the Los Angeles Dodgers last night by a final score of 8-6 and will stay in Los Angeles tonight for the second game of a three-game set. The Dodgers have stumbled out of the gates and are sitting below .500 to start the year at 8-9.

Can the Mets secure the series win tonight or will the Dodgers force a Wednesday rubber match?

Let's dive into the betting odds for this National League showdown.

Tylor Megill has been everything the Mets had hoped for when they were forced to put him in the starting rotation due to preseason injures to Justin Verland and Jose Quintana.

The 27-year old has allowed only four earned runs across 16.0 innings pitched and the Mets are 3-0 in his starts. He'll look to stay hot tonight against a struggling Dodgers team.

Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the Dodgers and we may be starting to see some regression from the lefty. He has a 3.50 ERA in his first three starts, and while they may not be concerning, a 4.44 FIP certainly is. His strikeout rate has also dropped 1.4 K's per nine innings compared to last season.

It's not just Kershaw that the Dodgers need to worry about tonight. Their bullpen has also been suspect to start the year.

Heading into tonight's game, their bullpen ranks 24th in bullpen ERA at 4.97. That's well below the Mets who come in with a bullpen ERA of 3.32.

Give me the Mets as big time underdogs in L.A. tonight.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.