MLB betting on Monday includes an ESPN game as the New York Mets host the Chicago Cubs.
It is the first game of a four-game series. The baseball betting line on this game is tight since the Cubs are expected to go with Randy Wells while the Mets counter with Jon Niese.
MLB betting odds are likely to favor the Cubs quite a bit this season even though the team is just average. The Cubs get a lot of attention from the public and the media so they are favored more often than they should be. The Mets are similar to some extent but the injury concerns for New York are so well known that New York is rarely overvalued. This is the first of a seven-game road trip for the Cubs and the first of a seven-game homestand for the Mets.
The time to bet the Cubs could be when Wells is on the mound. He does not have the big name of Carlos Zambrano but oftentimes his results are just as good. He did not get a decision in his last start against the Brewers. He gave up four runs on 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings while striking out seven. It was not a great outing for Wells. The last time he faced the Mets he gave up just one earned run on seven hits over six innings. Niese did not pitch well last time out at Colorado. He gave up nine hits and one walk and took the loss in baseball betting.
New York has won 11 of the last 20 meetings against The Cubs in MLB betting. The teams split their six meetings a year ago. In New York, the Mets won two of the three games. Two of those games went under the total in MLB betting while the other game was a push. That is not always the case though in this series. Two years ago, all four games between the two teams in New York went over the total.
Chicago is one of the toughest teams in the league to figure out. They have some very talented players but you just never know when they are going to play well. With a lineup that includes Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs can score but too often they seem to sputter. The pitching is the same way. They have the big name in Zambrano and Wells is a good pitcher but in too many games they make mistakes to lose ball games in MLB betting.