The New York Mets will attempt to complete a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field before the All-Star break begins. It's time to continue our MLB odds coverage with a Mets-Cubs prediction and pick.

 

The Mets won both games of a doubleheader against the Cubs on Saturday. New York won the first game 2-1 in 11 innings. Pete Alonso was their top contributor, delivering two RBIs. Also, Taijuan Walker tossed six innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts. Neither team could score anything, so the game went into extra innings. Subsequently, the Mets pushed the go-ahead run in the 11th, and then Edwin Diaz entered the game and shut the door on the Cubs. New York's bullpen tossed five shutout innings, allowing one hit combined. 

The Mets took the second game 4-3 in 10 innings. Max Scherzer tossed 6 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits with 11 strikeouts but ultimately took the no-decision. Francisco Lindor drove in a run to help the Mets. Additionally, Eduardo Escobar went 3 for 5, including driving in a home run. 

The Mets will go with David Peterson on the hill today. Peterson is 5-2 with a 3.48 ERA. Recently, he tossed 5 1/3 innings of work, allowing two earned runs on two hits, including a home run with nine strikeouts and three walks in his last start. Peterson is 1-1 with a 4.80 ERA in three starts in July. Also, he is 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA in his career against the Cubs. Peterson is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in eight starts on the road this season. 

The Cubs will turn to Adrian Sampson on the mound. Sampson is 0-1 with a 3.33 ERA. Also, he is 0-1 with a 4.41 ERA in three starts in July. Sampson is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in four starts at Wrigley Field. 

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Mets-Cubs odds:

MLB odds: Mets-Cubs Odds  

Mets: -1.5 (+114)

Cubs: +1.5 (-137)

Over: 8 (-102)

Under: 8 (-120)

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Why The Mets Could Cover The Spread

The Mets have won all three games in this series, but have only covered the spread one time. The Mets need some hitting to cover the spread and replicate Thursday's effort. 

Alonso came through yesterday but has otherwise struggled against Chicago in this series and his career. He is batting .167 (2 for 12) with one home run, five RBIs, and two runs over three games against the Cubbies in this series. Consequently, Alonso is batting .180 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs, and nine runs in 17 games against the Cubs in his career. He either crushes the Cubs or withers in mediocrity. 

Jeff McNeil has also struggled against the Cubs, batting .167 (2 for 12) in this series. Additionally, he has not done much better against them in his career, batting .224 with two home runs, eight RBIs, and six runs in 16 games against the Cubbies in his career. Lindor has done marginally better against the Cubs than Alonso and McNeil, batting .273 with two RBIs and two runs. Similarly, he is batting .266 with three home runs, 11 RBIs, and 14 runs over 22 games against the Cubs in his career. 

The Mets' relief pitching has been the reason they have won all three games. Now, they need their relievers to continue the success. The Mets' bullpen has allowed one earned run in this series, and even that was with the advantage of a runner starting the inning on second base. Otherwise, the bullpen has pitched lights out. 

The Mets will cover the spread if they can get their bats going. Likewise, they need Peterson to toss a solid game. He must go at least five innings, and the bullpen must continue their relentless dominance. 

Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread

The Cubs have covered the spread twice in this series. Somehow, despite averaging 1.25 runs per game in three games, they have covered the odds twice. The Cubs have accomplished this with pitching. Similar to the Mets, their bullpen has thrown lights-out baseball. The only runs the bullpen allowed yesterday were in the extra frames with the runners already starting on second base. 

Patrick Wisdom is one of the best weapons the Cubs have and he is slumping against New York. He is batting .091 (1 for 11) with a run scored over these three games. Additionally, Wisdom is batting .167 with a home run, an RBI, and four runs in six games against the Mets in his career. 

The Cubs will cover the spread if their pitchers can hold the Mets' bats down and if Wisdom and the Cubs can revive their bats. Chicago needs to score more than three runs to win this game. Likewise, it will be difficult to hold the Mets' offense down for the third game in a row. 

Final Mets-Cubs Prediction & Pick

The Mets are the superior team and might even sweep the Cubs. However, their bats struggled yesterday, and there might be fatigue today. Neither team will perform great, but the feeling is it will be close again. 

Final Mets-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Cubs: +1.5 (-137)