Mets vs. Cubs prediction and odds for Thursday, May 25 (Bank on runs)

The Chicago Cubs and New York Mets will wrap up their midweek series tonight at Wrigley Field and the Cubbies have a chance to complete the series sweep.

They've won the first two games of the series by a combined score of 11-4 as the Mets have struggled to create much offense.

Today, Kyle Hendricks will be making his first start of the 2023 season. How will he fare? Well, I think it might be best to play it safe and just bet the OVER.

Let's dive into it.

Mets vs. Cubs odds, run line, and total

Mets vs. Cubs prediction and pick

The Cubs have a favorable pitching matchup in front of them, as Carolos Carrasco gets the start for the Mets and he has been completely abysmal through his first four starts.

He sports an 8.68 ERA while having given up at least five earned runs in three of his first four starts this season. With the Cubs ranking 10th in OPS against right-handed pitchers this season, sporting an OPS of .750 against them, they should be able to score a few runs off the Mets starter.

But, now I need to talk about Kyle Hendricks. I usually like to go against pitchers who are making their first start of the season when batters have already settled into their midseason form. It's a tall task for pitchers in that spot as they miss the first few weeks of the season that other players use to warm up.

Not only that, but we've seen some regression from Hendricks the past few years. His ERA has dipped in two straight seasons which culminated in an 4.80 ERA last season, the worst of his career.

I think the safe bet to make in Hendricks' debut is the OVER. Let's just root for some runs.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.