The Chicago Cubs are 5-0 over their last five games after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend. The Cubs will try to keep things rolling with another win Monday night when they visit the New York Mets for the first game in a four-game series.
- Date/Time: June 14, 7:10 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Citi Field
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Mets -105 | O/U 7.5 (Line History)
- Cubs vs Mets Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
This game opened as a pick’em with both the Mets and Cubs going off at -105 before New York emerged as a -116 favorite and Chicago settled in as a +106 road underdog. Bettors pounding the OVER have moved the total up to 9 runs since it opened at 7.5 runs. The UNDER is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between the Cubs and Mets.
Starting Pitchers Analysis
Jake Arrieta bounced back from allowing six earned runs in two innings against the San Francisco Giants to allowing only one earned run in five innings against the San Diego Padres last Wednesday. Arrieta is 5-6 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP this season. The veteran right-hander owns a 3.03 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in 17 career starts against the Mets.
David Peterson has pitched only three total innings across his last two starts and has surrendered 11 hits, four walks and nine earned runs in those two outings to post a 27.00 ERA and a 5.00 WHIP. Peterson has seen his season ERA rise from 4.91 to 6.32 due to his two terrible starts in June. He is also 1-5 with a 1.51 ERA in 2021.
Chicago News & Notes
Chicago’s bats were surprisingly held in check by Carlos Martinez and the St. Louis bullpen on Sunday night as the Cubs only managed to score two runs in the game. But two runs was all Chicago would need as Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel combined for nine shutout innings in a 2-0 Cubs win.
After struggling in his first two seasons in Chicago, Craig Kimbrel has been fantastic in 2021 with a 0.66 ERA, a 0.70 WHIP, 18 saves and 45 strikeouts in 27.1 innings pitched. The Cubs have the second-best bullpen in baseball this season with a bullpen ERA of 2.59 just one season after that unit recorded a 4.38 ERA in 2020. Chicago’s ability to hold on to leads and keep games close this year has played a big role in the team’s 38-27 record.
New York News & Notes
The Mets were 5-1 over their last six games heading into Sunday’s game against the San Diedo Padres, but they failed to complete the sweep in a 7-3 loss at home. New York was leading 2-1 heading into the seventh inning before the Padres put up a six-run frame in the top of the seventh that was highlighted by a Fernando Tatis Jr. grand slam.
New York’s offense has been held to four runs or less in seven of the club’s last nine games. Producing runs has been an issue all season for the Mets as they rank 27th in the majors, averaging 3.84 runs per game. Despite their poor offense, the Mets enter Monday in first place in the National League East with a 32-25 record thanks to their excellent pitching.
Betting Pick: Chicago +106
It’s hard to pass on underdog odds here when the Cubs have the better offense and the Mets are sending the struggling David Peterson to the mound. Expect Chicago to outslug New York en route to a road upset here.
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Buy Sports Picks Now- New York is 6-1 in its last 7 home games.
- Chicago is 7-0 in its last 7 games at New York.
- The OVER is 9-4 in New York’s last 13 games.
