The Chicago Cubs (18-12) travel to face off against the New York Mets (15-14) on Wednesday, May 1st. This game will be played at Citi Field in New York and televised on SNY. The Mets are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cubs are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Mets. First pitch is set for 7:10 ET.
Cubs vs Mets
New York picked up a 4-2 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Mets had a huge 6th inning, scoring three of their four runs. As for the Cubs, they scored their only two runs in the 9th. Heading into the game, the Mets were favored at -126 on the money line.
Sean Manaea got the win for the Mets, going five innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with three strikeouts but issued four walks. Javier Assad only went five innings for the Cubs, giving up one earned run on five hits.
DJ Stewart hit the game’s only home run while going 1/3 with three RBIs. Mike Tauchman also had a two-hit game for the Cubs.
Chicago is 18-12 overall this season, putting them 2nd in the NL Central, 0.5 games behind the Brewers. The Cubs are on the road today, taking on the Mets, and they are 10-3 at home compared to 8-9 on the road. So far, they have yet to play a game in the division.
The Cubs dropped the first game of this series vs. the Mets but bounced back to win the second game. This year, the Cubs’ series record is 5-3-1, and they are 7-3 as the favorite. As for their record as the underdog, the Cubs are 11-9 this season.
The Chicago Cubs have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 21-9 overall. They are 12-5 vs. the run line on the road, where they have a run differential of -1.1 runs per game. The Cubs have been even better at home, going 9-4 vs. the run line with a run differential of +2.5 runs per game.
The Cubs have played 20 games this season with over/under lines higher than 7.5 runs, and the over/under record in those games is 13-16. The average over/under line in their games this season is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 7.5 runs, the over/under record is 4-3. The Cubs have gone under the total in their last two games, and their combined run average for the season is 9.5 runs.
Shota Imanaga Gets The Start For The Cubs
Shota Imanaga has been very solid in his first three starts of the season. He’s picked up a win in each of his first three outings, and he’s coming off a start where he struck out seven Red Sox batters. Imanaga has given up just one home run this season, and he has not allowed a perfect game or no-hitter.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
The Cubs come into today’s game as the league’s top-scoring team at home, averaging 5.8 runs per game. Overall, they are 7th in the league at 5 runs per contest. So far, they have been a good home run hitting team, but their collective batting average of .238 is just 13th in the league. Nico Hoerner and Cody Bellinger will be looking to hit their first home runs of the season, as Hoerner is batting .261, and Bellinger is at just .226.
Michael Busch and Cody Bellinger are currently 1-2 on the team in RBIs, with 17 apiece. Bellinger is also 2nd on the team with six homers, while Busch’s six homers is the best mark on the team and 5th best in the league. Over his last five games, Bellinger is 5/19 with three RBIs, and Mike Tauchman has also driven in three runs over this stretch, going 6/18.
After dropping the first game of their series vs. the Cubs, the Mets took the most recent game vs. the Cubs. Overall, the Mets are 15-14, which has them 4.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East. This season, they are 2-1 in division games.
The Mets have an overall series record of 5-4 this season, and they have lost two straight series. At home, the Mets are 8-9 compared to 7-5 on the road. One area they will look to improve is their record as the underdog at home, which is currently 1-1. As the underdog this season, the Mets are 6-6, and they are 9-8 when favored.
Despite a run line record of 15-14, the Mets have been a profitable team to back, as their average run margin is +0.2 runs per game. They have covered the run line in eight of their last 12 games overall and are 8-4 against the run line on the road this season. The Mets have also been a good bet when they are the underdog, going 7-5 against the run line in those games.
The Mets have had a combined run average of 8.6 runs per game this season, but their over/under record is just 14-15. Their average over/under line is 8 runs per game, but when the line is set at 7.5 runs, they are 4-4. In their last three games, the under has hit in each contest, and the over/under line for today’s game against the Cubs is set at 7.5 runs.
José Buttó Gets The Start For The Mets
José Buttó will be making his 5th start of the season for the Mets, and he will be taking on the Cubs at home. Buttó’s first 3 starts have all been no-decisions, and he took the loss in his last outing vs. the Cardinals. He has yet to go more than 6 innings in a start this year.
Mets Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Mets are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 17th in the league. However, they have been a much better offensive team on the road, averaging 5.6 runs per game. So far, they are one of the league’s top home run hitting teams, and they are batting a collective .239.
Starling Marte is batting .288 for the Mets this season and comes into the game on a three-game hitting streak. He is 3rd on the team with four homers. Pete Alonso has a team-high eight homers but is batting just .234 for the season. Over his last nine games, Alonso is batting just .219. Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo are also looking to improve their batting averages, as Lindor is at .197, and Nimmo is batting .208.
Cubs vs Mets Prediction
Our prediction for this Cubs vs. Mets matchup is that the Cubs will pick up a 5-4 road win. With the money line payout being -120, this is the way we recommend playing this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have José Buttó finishing with seven strikeouts compared to Shota Imanaga with five. Buttó also has a better chance of picking up the win, but we still have him finishing with a 13th best among starters in terms of earned runs.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:May 1, 2024 Cubs, Mets