On The Horizon: Cubs vs. Mets series preview

The Cubs are 10-9 in September, but… they’ve lost four straight for the first time this year.

If that doesn’t feel real good right now, try this: The Mets are 7-12 in September and at one point earlier this month lost eight in a row.

For more on the Mets, here’s Chris McShane, manager of our SB Nation Mets site Amazin’ Avenue.

The Mets appear to be a broken baseball team. Of course, they’ve alternated between looking very good and looking broken for the past three months, but having seen their long-held playoff spot slip out of their hands on Sunday really didn’t feel great. 

You just don’t know what you’re going to get out of this team on a daily basis. They could sweep this series or get swept, but they have more consistently found ways to lose than ways to win lately. Knowing how things typically go, they’ll most likely be playing for their playoff lives on the final day of the regular season, but Mets fans won’t be shocked if they squander the opportunity sooner. 

In a season that’s seen Pete Alonso put up fantastic numbers at the plate and Juan Soto be the best major free agent signing debutant in franchise history, it really shouldn’t have been this hard. But here we are, hoping for the best and expecting the worst in late September like we have so many times in the past. 

Fun facts

It has been more than four months since the Cubs last faced the Mets, on May 11 at Citi Field in New York. The Cubs have played 95 games since then.

The Cubs won one of the three earlier games. Two wins this week will raise their total to 400 against the Mets since the rivalry began in 1962. The Cubs have lost 377 times, for a winning percentage of .514.

At home, they are .542, but since a three-game sweep in 2021, they are 4-6. Last year, they lost two of three.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Tuesday: Cade Horton, RHP (11-4, 2.66 ERA, 1.096 WHIP, 3.53 FIP) vs. David Peterson, LHP (9-6, 3.98 ERA, 1.339 WHIP, 3.47 FIP)

Wednesday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (13-8, 3.20 ERA, 1.107 WHIP, 3.60 FIP) vs. Jonah Tong, RHP (2-2, 5.94 ERA, 1.440 WHIP, 4.23 FIP)

Thursday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (9-7, 3.37 ERA, 0.957 WHIP, 4.58 FIP) vs. Nolan McLean, RHP (4-1, 1.27 ERA, 1.008 WHIP, 2.42 FIP)

The Mets starters for Wednesday and Thursday are not official yet, but were listed on this mets.com article, so I’m placing them here as “probable.”

Times & TV channels

Tuesday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, TBS (outside the Cubs and Mets market territories)

Wednesday: 7:05 p.m. CT, ESPN (full national broadcast, no blackouts)

Thursday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Mets market territories)

Prediction

The Mets have not been a good road team this year. They’re 31-45 overall on the road, which is the worst road record for any team not named Pirates, Rockies, Twins or White Sox. They have lost their last six games away from Citi Field and were outscored 36-15 in those six games.

So … the Cubs really ought to win at least two of three here.

Up next

The Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals for the final series of the 2025 regular season, a three-game set beginning Friday afternoon.