Mets vs. Cubs Pick
The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs play the final game in their three-game series Thursday night at 8:05PM EST.
Oddsmakers at sports book Bovada.lv have made the Cubs a -230 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Mets are a +195 underdog and the over-under is set at 9.5.
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Seth Lugo (6-4, 4.64 ERA) draws the start for New York, while Chicago will go with Jsen-Ho Tseng in his MLB debut. Lugo sports a 1.39 WHIP with 67 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings. He threw six shutout innings in his last start, allowing four hits with four strikeouts and one walk over six innings in a 5-1 home win over the Reds. Lugo has a 5.75 ERA in 10 road appearances (nine statrs). Tseng has been outstanding in the minors this year, combining at the Double A and Triple A levels for a 2.54 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP and 122 strikeouts in 145 1/3 innings.
The Mets are 63-82 and 30-41 on the road, while the Cubs are 79-66 and 42-32 at home. Chicago has won three of five in the season series and the total has gone over the last four games.
On Wednesday night, the Cubs won their second straight in the series as it cruised to a 17-5 victory. Ben Zobrist was 2-for-3 with three walks and four runs scored. Kris Bryant went 3-for-5 with a double, a walk and four runs. Anthony Rizzo drew four walks, scored a run and drove in two. Willson Contreras was 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs. Albert Almora was 2-for-2 with a home run, a triple and six RBIs off the bench. Javier Baez finished 4-for-5 with a home run, and three runs scored. Jon Lester allowed two earned runs over six innings to get the win. Matt Harvey took the loss for the Mets as he allowed five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. Jose Reyes was 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk. Amed Rosario was 3-for-4 and scored two runs. Dominic Smith added a two-run homer off the bench.
Lugo was solid in his last start, while Tseng is a pitcher the Mets have yet to see at the MLB level. This season series is due for an under and this seems like a prime spot. Offenses tend to go dormant quite often the day after putting up a huge run total and this might be no different.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: METS/CUBS UNDER 9.5