The Cubs are a tough egg to crack for the MLB betting free pick August 28th. On one hand, Chicago looked really great in Tuesday’s 5-2 series opening win over the Mets. Then again the Cubs are still 26-39 on the road this season and have a tough matchup with Noah Syndergaard on Wednesday. The Mets have come back down to Earth a bit with a 4-game losing streak but are still listed as -135 favorites in game two.
Can Chicago Get Bats Going Again Wednesday?
The Cubs offense looked good on Tuesday night, racking up 11 hits and home runs from Javy Baez and Addison Russell to tally the 5-2 win. It was a much needed victory for Chicago who had come in to the Big Apple after being swept by Washington over the weekend. The Cubs will likely be without Anthony Rizzo (Questionable) in the MLB betting free pick August 28th but their matchup with Syndergaard might not be as bad as it looks. Chicago has hit .327 as a team vs. the Mets starter with Baez leading the way at 4 for 7 (.571).
Kyle Hendricks is on the hill Wednesday looking to duplicate Yu Darvish’s performance in the series opening win. Darvish threw 8 innings of 1ER allowed ball to get the Cubs rotation back on track. Chicago has lost 6 of the last 7 of Hendricks’ road starts and he’s been far less efficient away (4.76 ERA compared to 1.79 at home). That being said, 3 of Hendricks’ last 4 road starts have been 0ER allowed in Milwaukee, 0ER allowed in St. Louis, and allowing 1 ER on 3 hits at Pittsburgh. Hendricks hasn’t pitched vs. the Mets yet this season.
Mets Turn to Syndergaard to Stop the Bleeding
New York’s miracle run over the past 2-3 weeks seems to be winding down as they’ve now dropped 4 straight games – all at home. The Mets have been held to 2 runs or less in 4 of the last 5 games and have hit just 4 HR total in the last week. Pete Alonso set the Mets’ single season HR record with his 42nd on Tuesday night but the team isn’t getting much more offense besides their rookie slugger. New York has hit just .214 over 42 career AB’s vs. Chicago’s Hendricks.
Success for New York in the MLB betting free pick comes down to how well Noah Syndergaard can shut down Chicago’s hitters. The right-hander has been solid over his last 8 starts, allowing more than 2 ER scored just once in that span. Since the all-star break Syndergaard has just a 1.82 ERA. Chicago has good numbers vs. the Mets starter, but none of those have come this season. Syndergaard is in the zone right now and the Cubs are still a risk on the road.
Top Trends:
- Cubs are 1-6 last 7 vs. NL East
- Cubs are 2-5 last 7 road games vs. teams with winning home record
- Cubs are 3-8 in Hendricks’ last 11 starts
- Mets are 0-4 last 4 overall
- Mets are 6-1 in Syndergaard’s last 7 home starts
- Cubs are 5-0 last 5 in New York
MLB Free Pick
The Cubs have a nice price (+112) considering they’ve won 5 straight at Citi Field. The big question is if the Chicago bats have turned a corner on the road after last night’s win? Both Syndergaard and Hendricks have been great which is why the O/U for this one is just 7.5 runs. Chicago is too HR dependent and they’re going to have a hard time getting a deep one vs. the Mets on Wednesday.
Free Pick: New York Mets -135
