The Chicago Cubs take on the New York Mets. Check out our MLB odds series for our Cubs Mets prediction and pick.
Javier Assad gets the call for the Cubs, while Chris Bassitt takes the bump for the Mets.
Javier Assad was called up to the Cubs on Aug. 23. He has made three starts, plus a one-inning appearance. In the three starts, Assad has pitched 14 1/3 innings and allowed four runs. That's an ERA of under three runs. Assad has not pitched more than 5 1/3 innings in any of his three starts (not counting the one-inning game on Sept. 2 against the Cardinals). He is part of a promising young collection of pitchers who give the Cubs hope for their future.
It is a point of concern that Assad has walked seven batters, and that he has given up an average of one hit per inning. He pitched out of trouble in two of his three starts, but not in his most recent start last week against the Reds, who tagged him for four runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Chris Bassitt is giving the Mets what they need down the stretch, as New York tries to fend off the Atlanta Braves in the compelling National League East Division race. Since the beginning of August, Bassitt has made seven starts. In six of them, he has allowed two earned runs or fewer. His worst start (the seventh one) was a 7 1/3-inning, four-run game against the Rockies on Aug. 26. Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer rightly get the headlines on this team and pitching staff, but New York would not be in this position without Bassitt, who is definitely an unsung hero of this team and who will be needed in the playoffs. If the Braves overtake the Mets and bump New York into the wild card round, Bassitt could pitch a deciding third game of the wild card series if the Mets split the deGrom and Scherzer games. Obviously, the Mets want to avoid that scenario, so Bassitt needs to deliver in this game against the Cubs.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Cubs-Mets MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Cubs-Mets Odds
Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (+106)
New York Mets: -1.5 (-128)
Over: 8 (-110)
Under: 8 (-110)
Why The Cubs Could Cover the Spread
Javier Assad has a lot of potential. He threw two scoreless, albeit brief, outings at the start of his big-league career in late August. He probably won't go more than twice through the Mets' batting order, but if he provides four scoreless innings, that obviously puts the Cubs in a good position to win and forces Bassitt to be letter-perfect. The Cubs are not a good team, but their second-half pitching has been impressive. There are other bottom-rung opponents contenders would rather face (the Rockies, the Marlins, the Pirates) down the stretch.
Why The Mets Could Cover the Spread
Chris Bassitt is a reliable, trustworthy pitcher. He has been getting the job done consistently for the Mets over the past six weeks. Start there. The case for the Mets covering the spread also has something to do with the urgency of this game as the Mets try to preserve their slim lead over the Braves in the N.L. East. That certainly matters here. The Mets fell behind Atlanta in the standings on Friday night but rallied to win twice in Miami over the weekend while the Braves dropped a pair to the Mariners. New York knows it needs to take advantage of the softer portions of the schedule.
The other reason New York will cover: The Cubs played on Sunday Night Baseball. They had to fly into New York on Monday. The Mets played a day game in Miami on Sunday and got home for a good night's sleep. They should be the fresher, more rested team.
Final Cubs-Mets Prediction & Pick
Assad is a good, young pitcher, but Bassitt can match him, and the Mets have better hitters in a more urgent situation. The travel situation also helps New York. Yes, you can go with the Mets here.
Final Cubs-Mets Prediction & Pick: Mets -1.5
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