posted April 22, 2008 at 13:00 in MLB Articles

Online baseball betting fans are in for a treat this afternoon when the (10-8) NY Mets and the (13-6) Chicago Cubs lock horns in the second game of their short two-game set. Last night’s game hardly disappointed, unless you’re a Mets fan, when the Cubs tacked onto a one-run lead in the 8th with five runs to pull away for the 7-1 victory. Both John Maine and Carlos Zambrano were very impressive. The Mets hurler went six strong surrendering five hits and two earned runs while striking out six and walking two. His lone mistake came in the 4th inning when he allowed Aramis Ramirez to go yard after Derrek Lee led off with a single for his 5th HR and 13th RBI of the season. Zambrano did him one better going seven strong and only allowing one earned run on five hits with a K/BB ratio of 4/2. Reliever Aaron Heilman looked to have got out of a rough jam in the bottom of the 8th earning two outs after an error, a walk (HBP), and a base hit loaded the bases with nobody out. However, Ronnie Cedeno put some space between the two teams after he raked a base hit up the middle scoring two. Jorge Sosa then gave up a gopher ball to Felix Pie and the rest was history.

Looking to even up the series this afternoon will be the Mets Nelson Figueroa who’s done a fabulous job taking the place of the injured Pedro Martinez. The Mets are 2-0 when he’s toed the bump this year, but he personally owns a 1-0 mark with a 3.60 ERA. In his two starts, he’s allowed five hits and four earned runs in 13 combined innings of work with a K/BB ratio of 13/4. That said, he’s faced a pair of teams in Milwaukee and Washington that have struggled mightily against right-handed pitching. The Cubs excel in that department, and this will be his toughest test of the season. In his career against the Cubs, He’s 0-2 with an ERA of 5.68 and a WHIP of 1.973.

The Cubs will send lefty Ted Lilly to the hill in search of his first win of the season. Lilly’s second go round in the National League has by no means gotten off to the fast start he experienced a year ago. His 0-3 mark is inexcusable for a team that’s already won 13 games, but his 9.60 ERA is the major reason why. He hasn’t been fooling anyone, and his location has been spotty at best. This is the first time he’s started a season off 0-3 since 2002 with Toronto. Lilly’s 1-1 with an ERA of 4.76 and a WHIP of 1.588 in his career against the Mets.

The Cubs were installed short –115 home favorites over the Mets for Game 2 with the ‘total’ yet to be determined. Once it is, you’ll be able to get down on it and the ‘side’ at BetUS.com.

The Mets have feasted upon left-handed pitching this season winning eight of nine games against southpaws, and gone a perfect 6-0 when facing them on the road. Making the Mets an even sweeter proposition this afternoon is the fact that the Cubs are a woeful 1-6 in Lilly’s L/7 overall starts and 0-5 his L/5 as a favorite.

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