Mets, Cubs clash for series supremacy
Last night’s Jake Arrieta-Noah Syndergaard showdown certainly lived up to the hype. Can Kyle Hendricks and Bartolo Colon continue the pitching prowess as the Cubs and Mets wrap up their marquee set?
The two National League heavyweights’ rubber match begins at 2:20 p.m. ET. According to oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI, Chicago should improve to 56-37. New York, on the other hand, enters Wrigley Field as a +180 underdog. The over/under run total sits at nine.
On Tuesday, Arrieta and Syndergaard combined to allow just one earned run. The visiting squad got the last laugh, though, when catcher Rene Rivera singled home the winning tally in the ninth. Joe Maddon’s crew had captured the opener, 5-1, behind an exemplary effort from Jon Lester.
The Cubs now ask Hendricks to carry the baton with similar aplomb. He’s 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two career turns vs. the Mets. In Game 3 of the 2015 NLCS, the Newport Beach native limited them to two runs and five hits.
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As for Colon, the oldest player in the majors simply keeps chugging along. He downed the Cubbies for his seventh victory of the campaign on July 3, tossing six innings while yielding two runs and four base knocks. Colon also fanned five and walked three in that performance.
The All-Star would welcome an offensive assist from Michael Conforto, who just received a promotion from Triple-A Las Vegas. One of New York’s most highly regard prospects, Conforto immediately slides into the middle portion of a lineup that struggles to strike big blows beyond the occasional Yoenis Cespedes moonshot. Hendricks’ presence on the mound this afternoon suggests further woes at the plate, so lean toward the NL Central leaders.
WEDNESDAY MLB FREE PICK: CUBS -1.5