Baseball fans are in for a treat later tonight as the MLB has lined up a pair of blockbuster games that will definitely tickle your fancy. Opening festivities tonight is the much-anticipated National League showdown between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets.
Then, the Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros square off in a mouth-watering American League matchup. Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two fantastic ballgames and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the Women’s World Cup semifinal between Japan and England here.
[sc:MLBArticles ]
Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets (7:10 PM ET)
Line: Chicago Cubs (-120) vs. New York Mets (+110); total: 6.5 – view all MLB lines
[sc:MLB240banner ]The Chicago Cubs finally snapped their five-game losing skid with a nail-biting 1-0 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday. Hendricks pitched three-hit ball for six innings for the Cubs who improved to 5-0 against the Mets this season. The Cubs will look to preserve their unbeaten record against the Mets when they square off in the second game of their three-game set tonight.
Starting for Chicago tonight is Jon Lester (4-6, 4.03 ERA). He struggled in his last start for the Cubs, allowing four runs on four hits in just four innings of action in Chicago’s 4-0 loss to the LA Dodgers. The Cubs have now lost five of their last seven games with Lester as their starter.
The Mets, on the other hand, will counter with veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon (9-6, 4.89 ERA). He suffered his sixth defeat of the season in his last start, allowing four runs on 10 hits in New York’s 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mets have now lost three of their last four games with Colon on the mound.
Writer’s Prediction
Chicago wins, 6-5.
Kansas City Royals vs. Houston Astros (8:10 PM ET)
Line: Kansas City Royals (+102) vs. Houston Astros (-112); total: 8.0 – view all MLB lines
The Houston Astros stretched their unbeaten run to two games with an emphatic 4-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. They will look to complete the three-game sweep when they take on the Astros in their series finale tonight. Starting for the Astros tonight is Vincent Velasquez (0-0, 3.72 ERA). He was solid in his last start, allowing just two runs on five hits in 6.1 innings of action in Houston’s 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees on June 26.
He will have his work cut out for him, though, later tonight, as he will face the red-hot Edinson Volquez (8-4, 3.18 ERA). The Royals have won nine of their last 10 games with Volquez as their starter. He was superb in his last start, surrendering just one run on three hits in seven innings of work in Kansas City’s 5-2 win against Oakland on June 26.
Writer’s Prediction
The Astros win, 4-3, to complete the series sweep. Create a betting account now and bet on the best games for tonight.
