The New York Mets brought an eight-game losing streak to Wrigley Field on Thursday night, opening a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs with Kodai Senga and Edward Cabrera lined up as the probable starters for Friday’s game on April 17. The Mets entered at 7-12, while the Cubs came in at 9-9 after a series victory against Philadelphia.
The numbers behind the matchup were lopsided. Chicago had won three of its last four games and was hitting.292 over the last week, while the Mets had been outscored 44-12 during their skid and ranked last in the majors with a.169 batting average over the last seven days. New York also had only four home runs in that span, the second-fewest in MLB.
That form showed up in the betting line too. The Cubs were listed at -150 on the moneyline, with the Mets at +124, and Chicago was a -1.5 favorite at +119. New York came in at +1.5 at -144. For a club trying to stop the slide, the series opener offered little margin, especially with Wrigley Field already tilting toward a Cubs team that had been producing at the plate.
Senga’s numbers explained why the Mets were wary of the mound even before first pitch. He entered 2026 with 14.0 innings pitched, a 0-2 record, a 7.07 ERA, a 1.71 WHIP, 19 strikeouts and seven walks. Cabrera, meanwhile, had given the Cubs a steadier opening to the year, posting 16.2 innings, a 1-0 record, a 1.62 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, 13 strikeouts and nine walks.
The contrast was just as sharp in the lineup. Francisco Alvarez was hitting.271 with 13 hits, 26 total bases and four home runs in 48 at-bats, but Francisco Lindor was at.184 with 14 hits, 16 strikeouts and 10 walks in 76 at-bats. For Chicago, Nico Hoerner was batting.324 with 23 hits, 36 total bases and 18 RBIs in 71 at-bats, while Michael Busch was at.148 with nine hits, 14 strikeouts and nine walks in 61 at-bats.
The Cubs’ recent production has come at the right time after a series win over Philadelphia, and their week-long.292 clip with 40 RBI has given them a clear edge on paper. The Mets, by contrast, arrived in Chicago with no answer for a lineup that had been failing to score and no sign that the skid had slowed. Pittsburgh Pirates Vs Chicago Cubs: Thielbar error dooms Cubs in 4-3 loss is the kind of game that shows how quickly momentum can turn in this division, but on this night the pressure sat squarely on New York.
What matters next is whether the Mets can do more than just survive the opener. If Senga cannot steady them and the offense stays cold, the series could quickly become less about a single game at Wrigley and more about whether an 8-game slide is the start of something deeper.
