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Friday AM update: Friday’s game has been postponed due to weather conditions and will be made up Saturday, July 16 as part of a doubleheader.
The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs square off on Friday with first pitch set for 2:20 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and will be available to watch on ESPN+. Taijuan Walker (7-2, 2.63 ERA) will throw for the Mets, and the Cubs will start Marcus Stroman (2-5, 4.91 ERA).
New York (56-34) will go for its third win in a row and is winners of three of the last four games heading into Friday afternoon. Walker will make his 16th start of 2022 is coming off an outing where he threw 7 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in a loss to the Miami Marlins. The Mets score 4.8 runs per game, and Pete Alonso leads all of baseball with 74 RBIs including two runs with a homer in last night’s 8-0 victory over the Cubs.
Chicago (34-55) lost seven games in a row following last night’s loss in Game 1 of this series. Stroman has made 10 starts in his first season with the Cubs in 2022 and made his first appearance off the injured list last week when he threw 4.0 scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chicago ranks 10th in on-base percentage (.320), and Patrick Wisdom leads the team in home runs (17) and RBIs (45).
Mets vs. Cubs
Pitchers: Taijuan Walker vs. Marcus Stroman
First pitch: 2:20 p.m. ET
Mets local broadcast: SNY
Cubs local broadcast: Marquee Sports Network
Live stream: WatchESPN, ESPN app with an ESPN+ subscription
Odds, picks & predictions
Run Line: Mets -1.5 (+125)
Run total: 9
Moneyline odds: Mets -135, Cubs +115
Moneyline pick: Mets -135
These odds are pretty great for New York in a matchup between one of the best National League teams and one of the worst. The Mets have the pitching advantage in this spot, and Walker threw at least 7.0 scoreless innings in two of his last three starts. New York has a better offense when you look at just about every major statistical category.
Player prop pick: Pete Alonso Over 1.5 total bases (-115)
The Mets first baseman should be set up for success in this spot, and oddsmakers suggest there is a 50/50 shot he exceeds 1.5 bases on Friday night. Pete Alonso has the 15th-highest slugging percentage at .527, so this could take just one swing of the bat.
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