Chicago Cubs in for a good series against New York Mets

Despite their recent struggles, the Chicago Cubs could experience great success during their upcoming series against the New York Mets.

No, the Chicago Cubs have not experienced the success many envisioned they would to start the 2017 season. Yes, they just lost three out of four games at home to the Colorado Rockies. Yes, they have been struggling to hit with runners in scoring position.

Be that as it may, the Cubs should be looking forward to their upcoming series against the New York Mets. As rough of a season as the Cubs have had, the Mets have had an even tougher one.

Despite winning 2-1 against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, the Mets record stands at just 28-33. They have a 5-5 record over their last ten games, scoring six or more runs in five of those contests.

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The Mets have had an equally up-and-down season that the Cubs have had. Both teams have managed to stay afloat in their divisions, yet both have struggled to gain traction in their push to the top. However, the Mets do have injuries to blame for their struggles.

Current Mets injured include David Wright, Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia, all of which are on the 60-day DL. Sunday, the team activated pitcher Steven Matz and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes from the DL. Essentially, the Mets have been without numerous prominent players all season long.

Healthy players struggling in the Big Apple

Injuries aside, even the healthy Mets players have struggled this season. Starting pitchers Jacob deGrom (4.75 ERA) and Matt Harvey (5.02 ERA) have each underperformed in their combined 12 starts. The Cubs will face deGrom Monday and will face Harvey on Wednesday.

As a whole, the Mets pitching staff ranks 28th in the MLB in ERA (4.82), 29th in WHIP (1.48) and 26th in BAA (.270). For comparison’s sake, the Cubs pitching staff ranks 13th in ERA (4.10), 11th in WHIP (1.30) and 7th in BAA (.242).

Although their pitching staff has struggled, the Mets offense has performed better than the Cubs this season. New York has scored 297 runs (10th in the MLB) and has hit .245 (21st in the MLB); the Cubs have scored 278 runs (16th in MLB) and have hit .231 (29th in the MLB).

The Cubs went 0-4 against the Mets in New York last season, although they went 3-0 there in 2015. This season, the Cubs are 11-16 on the road, while the Mets are 14-19 at home. If there ever were an excellent opportunity for the Cubs to pick up a road sweep, it would be during this series.

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There is no reason that the Cubs or their fans should take the next three games lightly. Despite their struggles, the Mets have should signs of life during the month of June. If de Grom and Harvey pitch as well as they are capable of, the Cubs could be in for a tough three-game stretch.