Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

New York  Mets vs Chicago Cubs: Both teams are just under .500

The Chicago Cubs will host the New York Mets in the first game of a three-game series today at Wrigley Field.

The Mets have picked up their game recently

The New York Mets are fourth in the NL East with a 35-38 record. They were on a seven-game winning streak, the longest one of the season, before losing 5-3 in the last one to the Texas Rangers. The Mets have a 4.16 ERA, a .233 batting average, a .322 on-base percentage, and 1.32 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Francisco Lindor leads the team with 70 hits and 46 runs while Pete Alonso is on top with 16 home runs.

Can the Cubs build a winning streak?

The Chicago Cubs are fourth in the NL Central with a 36-39 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off back-to-back wins over the San Francisco Giants. The Cubs have a 3.85 ERA, a .237 batting average, a .308 on-base percentage, and 1.27 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Cody Bellinger leads the team with 64 hits, Mike Tauchman is on top with 38 runs, and Christopher Morel has 13 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Cubs are 13-7 SU in the last 20 home games against the Mets and 2-7 SU in their last 7 games against teams from the NL East. They have played under the total run line in 10 of the last 12 games overall, 5 of the last 6 games against the Mets and 4 of their last 6 home games. The Mets are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games overall and 6-1 SU in their last 7 games. They have played under the total run line in 6 of the last 8 games against teams from the NL and 5 of the last 7 games against teams from the NL Central.

Prediction and Conclusion

The New York Mets are one of the hottest teams in the league this month, but they are still under.500 percent in any postseason conversation. Just like them, the Cubs are just short of having a winning record, and they hope they will get there by the end of June. The Cubs will go strong tonight with Shota Imanaga on the mound, who is 7-1 for the season with a 1.89 ERA, 78 K, 76 IP, and 0.99 WHIP. The Mets will try to respond with veteran Jose Quintana, who is 2-5 for the season with a 4.98 ERA, 50 K, 72.1 IP, and 1.37 WHIP. There is a huge gap between the pitchers tonight, and the Cubs have been dominating the Mets at home in recent seasons, which is good enough of a reason to go with the Cubs tonight.