The New York Mets will have to put the injury to Jacob deGrom out of their minds as they go four the four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs tonight at Citi Field.
Luckily, the Mets get to hand the ball to electric right-hander Marcus Stroman who has been fantastic this season. The Cubs counter with Kyle Hendricks with hopes of fixing their road woes. But where's the betting value?
Find out with our free MLB picks and predictions for Cubs vs. Mets on Thursday, June 17, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Cubs vs Mets game info
• Location: Citi Field, New York, NY
• Date: Thursday, June 17, 2021
• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• TV: Marquee Sports Network, SNY
Cubs vs Mets odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare MLB odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
MLB sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonNew York opened as -120 chalk at TwinSpires and made a stop at -134 on the way to -139, where the moneyline sits at 1 p.m. ET. It's two-way action, however, with the Cubs landing 64 percent of tickets and the Mets seeing 59 percent of money. The total fell from 7.5 to 7, with 58 percent of tickets/54 percent of cash on the Under.
Check out the full line movement for this gameCubs vs Mets betting preview
Starting pitchers
Kyle Hendricks (8-4, 4.46 ERA): Hendricks has turned it around lately after a slow start to the season. The soft-tossing right-hander has pitched to a 2.93 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP over his last six outings, all of which have been quality starts.
Marcus Stroman (6-4, 2.33 ERA): Stroman is a master of messing up a hitter’s timing with his hesitations in his delivery and mix of pitches. The right-hander has recorded a quality start in each of his last five outings, pitching to a 1.74 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP over that stretch.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Cubs: Kris Bryant 3B (Questionable), Rowan Wick RP (Out), Dillon Maples RP (Out), Justin Steele RP (Out), Jonathan Holder RP (Out), Nick Hoerner 2B (Out).
Mets: Michael Conforto RF (Out), Brandon Nimmo CF (Out), Jeff McNeil 2B (Out), Dellin Betances RP (Out), Tommy Hunter RP (Out), J.D. Davis 3B (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Mets are 4-0 in Marcus Stroman's last four home starts vs. a team with a winning record. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Mets.
Moneyline pick
Mets ace deGrom left yesterday’s game after three perfect innings where he struck out eight of the nine batters he faced. But the Mets were able to hold on for the 6-3 win, their third in a row and eighth in their last 10 games overall.
Now, they hand the ball to Stroman as they go for the sweep. The righty is arguably having the best season of his career, pitching to a 2.33 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP while limiting opponents to a .226 batting average.
He faces a Cubs team that has hit a wall in this series and is now 14-20 on the road. Chicago has plated just seven runs over the first three games against New York and probably isn’t looking forward to facing another strong right-hander.
Over their last 14 games, the Cubs are hitting just .185 against right-handed pitchers, which ranks dead last in MLB over that stretch, while also ranking 28th in OPS.
Countering Stroman is Hendricks, and while the right-hander has been pitching much better of late he still has an opponent batting average of .284 for the season and has surrendered eight home runs over his last four starts.
He faces a Mets team that has trouble scoring at times, but the club ranks eighth in batting average and 15th in OPS against right-handed pitchers. All things considered, this is a good price on the Mets.
PREDICTION: Mets (-135)
Over/Under pick
Game 3 ended the Under run in this series with nine runs scored, easily eclipsing the total of 6.5. deGrom leaving the game was a big part of that but the Mets scoring six runs was the other part. But the Mets won’t be facing a seldom-used Triple-A call-up in the finale.
Hendricks has found his control and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a start in each of his last six games. The other thing about Hendricks is that he is pitching deep into contests, throwing at least six innings in every game during that stretch. He then has the support of a bullpen that ranks first in ERA and opponent batting average.
Hendricks and that 'pen face a Mets lineup that's playing better of late but still ranks 23rd in scoring at 4.04 runs per game. And even though New York plated six runs yesterday, that was just the fourth time in the last 14 games it scored more than four runs in a contest.
Pitching will be the story in this one, so bet accordingly.
PREDICTION: Under 7.5 (-110)
Cubs vs Mets betting card
- Mets (-135)
- Under 7.5 (-110)
Picks made on 6/17/2021 at 8:40 a.m. ET
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