Mets vs Cubs Odds, Lines & Spread (July 15)

• The Mets vs Cubs odds favor New York as -130 moneyline favorites on Friday (July 15, 2:20pm ET)
• New York will send Taijuan Walker (7-2, 2.63 ERA) to the mound, while Chicago will counter with Marcus Stroman (2-5, 4.91 ERA)
• Read below for the Mets vs Cubs odds, analysis and betting prediction

The Mets and Cubs four-game set continues on Friday afternoon in the Windy City. New York has been a top-two team in the NL for most of the season and look like a surefire playoff club. Chicago on the other hand, looks nothing like a championship contender.

The Cubs entered the series with the third worst record in the NL, and to no one’s surprise opened up as the underdog in Friday’s contest.

Mets vs Cubs Odds

Odds as of July 14th at Caesars Sportsbook. See available Caesars Sportsbook promo code. 

The Mets are currently -130 moneyline favorites in a game without a total as of Thursday night. First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 pm ET at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL, with rain and 73 degree game-time temperatures in the forecast.

New York vs Chicago Starting Pitchers

The Mets, who boast one of the four shortest prices in the World Series odds, will give the ball to Taijuan Walker. The 29-year-old is in the midst of a career year and is fresh off delivering one of the best performances of his season.

7 SCORELESS INNINGS FOR TAIJUAN WALKER 😤 pic.twitter.com/QzRhhtPoPc

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 10, 2022

Walker shutout Miami on Sunday over 7 innings, scattering three hits while striking out seven. He’s allowed three or fewer runs in 13 of his 15 starts, and has yielded just three runs total over his past 20.1 innings.

Dating back to June 12th, Walker is 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA, a 54% ground ball rate and a 43-8 strikeout-to-walk rate. Not bad for a guy who profiled as the Mets fourth or fifth starter at the start of the season.

Walker vs Stroman

The Cubs, who have seen their MLB divisional odds crater all the way to +25000, will counter with former Met Marcus Stroman. The 31-year-old is off to an underwhelming start to his Chicago career, posting just two wins and a 4.91 ERA in 10 starts.

4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 K for @STR0 in his return! pic.twitter.com/3QhqvWJLVY

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 10, 2022

Stroman pitched very well last week in his return from the COVID list after a month long absence, throwing four scoreless innings of two hit against the Dodgers. It was a far cry from his previous start before his illness, as he coughed up 10 hits and nine runs to St. Louis.

Opponent hitters are slugging .419 against him so far, which is the second highest mark he’s ever yielded. A big reason for that is his career worst fly ball rate, which is especially problematic at home when the wind is blowing out.

Mets vs Cubs Betting Analysis

If you like offense this game might not be for you especially if you’re a Cubs fan. Entering Thursday, Chicago was 2-8 in their last 10 outings, with a -14 run differential. They’re batting just .191, with a .239 OBP over the past week, while averaging 3.3 runs per game. They’ve crossed the plate two times or less in two of their past three games, and three times or less in six of seven.

New York meanwhile, is a much more potent lineup in large part thanks to top-two NL MVP odds contender Pete Alonso. However, they haven’t exactly been tearing the cover off the ball lately either.

STIRRUPS POWER FOR PETE ALONSO!!!! pic.twitter.com/rSCemHB4Ji

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2022

The Mets are batting just .212 over the past week, while averaging nearly a full run less per game than their season-long mark. Fortunately for them, their pitching has bailed them out during that stretch yielding just over three runs per game.

Mets hurlers have been exceeding expectations all season, even with stud starters Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom absent for much of the year. New York’s staff boasts the sixth lowest ERA in MLB and the second most strikeouts.

NYM vs CHC Last 10 Meetings

Mets vs Cubs Pick

With Walker on the mound, expect the Cubs power outage to continue. Chicago hitters have had little success against him in the past posting just a .204 batting average. Once Walker exits life won’t get any easier for the Cubs. New York relievers rank top-10 in ERA, and top-three in K/9 and strand rate.

Cubs relievers rank bottom-nine in strand rate and 26th in ERA. Chicago has allowed 39 runs while losing six straight, and a date versus a strong Mets squad is likely to prolong their woes.

Pick: New York Mets Moneyline (-130)