Looking for the sweep, the Chicago Cubs (22-26) will host the New York Mets (25-25) in the finale of a three-game series on Thursday. This game will be played at Wrigley Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 pm ET.
After winning the first game 7-2, the Cubs secured a series win on Wednesday by taking down New York 4-2. In the win, Nico Hoerner hit his third home run of the season, and Marcus Stroman picked up the win after throwing eight innings of two-run ball.
The Cubs are the favorite to win this one at home. They are -118 to win, while the New York Mets’ moneyline sits at +100.
Mets Look To Improve On The Road
At 25-25, the Mets currently sit in second place in the NL East, 5.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves. If New York hopes to close the gap, they will have to improve on the road, where they are just 13-16 to this point.
Trying to salvage the finale, New York will send veteran Carlos Carrasco to the mound on Thursday. In four games, the 36-year-old is 0-2 with a 8.68 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and he has 11 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. In his last outing, Carrasco took a no-decision despite giving up five earned runs over five innings to the Cleveland Guardians.
Despite hitting just .231/.325/.583, Pete Alonso continues to be one of the most feared hitters in the majors. In fact, he leads all of baseball in home runs with 18. He also has 43 runs batted in and 33 runs scored.
The next highest Met in all three categories is Francisco Lindor, who currently has seven home runs, 33 runs batted in, and 29 runs scored.
Cubs Welcome Back Veteran Pitcher In Series Finale
Not only are the Cubs looking for the sweep on Thursday, but they have another reason to celebrate as pitcher Kyle Hendricks will return for his first action this season. Hendricks has been out since the beginning of last July as he has dealt with a capsular tear in his right shoulder.
In 2021, Hendricks’ last fully healthy season, he went 14-7 with a 4.77 ERA over 32 starts. Now 33, Hendricks will look to help a pitching staff that currently ranks 13th in earned run average at 4.12.
Offensively, the Cubs rank 11th in scoring, averaging 4.83 runs per game. In the power department, they are led by Patrick Wisdom, who currently sits at 13 home runs.
The Cubs’ hottest hitter, by far, has been Christopher Morel. In just 53 at bats since being recalled from the minors, Morel is hitting .358/.393/.925 with nine home runs, 15 runs batted in, and 17 runs scored.
Take The Cubs To Finish The Sweep
After over 10 months since being on the mound last, it is hard to know what type of start the Cubs will get from Kyle Hendricks. Still, this one is less about Hendricks and more about how much Carlos Carrasco has struggled.
Carrasco is 0-2, but it easily could have been worse if it wasn’t for his offense bailing him out. With the Cubs rolling a bit to start this series, expect them to make life rough on Carrasco and to score enough runs to give Kyle Hendricks a bit of a cushion.
Take Chicago to win this one straight up at -118.
