Citi Field gets another Cubs-Mets game Wednesday night after Chicago spent the afternoon turning this series sideways. The Cubs won 9-6 Tuesday, then took Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader 10-3. Chicago enters Game 2 at 42-37, with 19 runs across the last two games. New York falls to 34-45, still trying to stabilize its rotation, bullpen, and battered lineup. Pete Crow-Armstrong keeps carrying star heat, Dansby Swanson just drove in seven runs, and Sean Manaea now gets a lineup already seeing the ball brutally well. Below is my preview, prediction, and pick for today’s baseball game between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs (Game 2).

Here’s how I’ll play it. I’ll be pumping out these predictions for individual games all season, with plenty of coverage here on DraftKings Network. Follow my handle @dansby_edits for more betting plays.

Mets vs. Cubs prediction, preview

Imanaga’s profile is strong enough to keep Chicago live, though the homer risk blocks a blind moneyline play. He is 4-6 with a 4.26 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 84 strikeouts, and 22 walks across 86.2 innings. His command foundation is still good, with an 8.72 K/9, 2.28 BB/9, .238 BABIP, 74.4% strand rate, and 38.2% ground-ball rate. The problem is the air contact: 1.77 HR/9, 15.9% HR/FB, 91.9 mph average exit velocity, 4.58 FIP, and 3.88 xFIP. Manaea is more directly attackable at 1-2 with a 4.64 ERA, 54.1 innings, 56 strikeouts, 18 walks, and 55 hits allowed. His deeper marks include a 1.34 WHIP, 9.28 K/9, 2.98 BB/9, 0.99 HR/9, .322 BABIP, 37.8% ground-ball rate, 9.8% barrel rate, 90.6 mph average exit velocity, 4.07 FIP, 3.75 xFIP, and 3.99 SIERA.

Chicago’s team split against left-handed pitching is the cleanest edge on the board. The Cubs have hit .256/.347/.407 against lefties this season, with 25 homers, 58 extra-base hits, 91 walks, 184 strikeouts, 301 total bases, and a .755 OPS over 854 plate appearances. That OPS sits near the top of MLB, and the recent form is louder. Over their last 10 games against lefties, the Cubs are at .326/.422/.640, with seven homers, 13 walks, and only 16 strikeouts in 102 plate appearances. Crow-Armstrong brings a .287/.368/.527 line, .895 OPS, 17 homers, 43 RBI, 18 steals, and a 149 wRC+. Suzuki adds a .265 average, 10 homers, .793 OPS, .353 wOBA, and 126 wRC+, while Happ carries 16 homers, a .235 ISO, and a 122 wRC+. Busch’s patience gives the top third another base-traffic route, and Carson Kelly’s .964 OPS against lefties makes the catcher spot dangerous when he starts.

The recent Chicago damage has not been empty volume. Crow-Armstrong homered Tuesday for the fifth time in six games, extended his hitting streak to 11, and pushed his on-base streak to 24. Swanson drove in four runs Tuesday, then hit two homers and drove in seven during Game 1. His last five-game surge is obscene: 8-for-18, two doubles, four homers, 14 RBI, two strikeouts, and a 1.222 slugging percentage. Busch tied Game 1 with a two-run homer, while Hoerner, Happ, and Amaya helped build the eighth-inning traffic before Swanson’s grand slam. That matters for a team total because Chicago is not relying on one star swing. The Cubs are getting lineup pressure from the top, the middle, and the ninth spot.

Cubs vs. Mets pick, best bet

Imanaga has already allowed 17 homers, and New York just got solo damage from Jared Young and Francisco Alvarez in Game 1. Alvarez also drove in three runs Tuesday, while Bo Bichette added a two-run homer late in that game. Juan Soto’s status remains the swing point after he left Tuesday with left-side back tightness and sat out Game 1. If he plays, his .974 OPS-level bat changes every Imanaga inning. Francisco Lindor has been activated after missing more than two months with a calf strain, but the Mets did not want to push him through both games immediately. The broader split still hurts New York: the Mets have hit .236/.300/.374 against lefties, with 22 homers, 57 walks, 175 strikeouts, 262 total bases, and a .674 OPS in 780 plate appearances.

The spot keeps pointing back to Chicago’s scoring, not simply Chicago winning. The Mets have covered heavy innings since Tuesday, Senga has been moved into a shakier role, and New York’s bullpen had to absorb another long day after McLean exited Game 1. The Cubs’ bullpen is not spotless either, especially after recent pitching injuries, so isolating their bats beats trusting the full game. Citi Field should play comfortably for offense, with warm evening weather and no rain concern after Monday’s postponement. Manaea can miss bats, but his contact profile and Chicago’s lefty split give the Cubs too many five-run paths.

Best bet: Cubs team total over 4.5 runs (+105), playable to -110. Cubs ML at +100 is the next-best angle, and full-game over 8.5 is the backup.

Final score: Cubs 6, Mets 4.

Best bet: Cubs TT o4.5 runs (+105) at Mets

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