Cubs vs Mets: The Best MLB Wager to Make for Monday Night

Monday night at Citi Field sets up as a strong spot for the under 8.5 in Cubs/Mets, with Shota Imanaga (4-6, 4.26 ERA) facing a struggling Kodai Senga (0-5, 9.00 ERA). Both offenses enter in less-than-ideal form, and historical betting angles strongly back the under in this spot.

Fading offenses coming off Sunday Night Baseball has been extremely profitable for years. Teams playing in the national spotlight on Sunday often deal with extra travel, emotional swings, and fatigue heading into Monday getaways. The Mets were just embarrassed in a 6-2 loss to the Phillies on NBC/Peacock, where Zack Wheeler and Philadelphia’s power bats dominated. That kind of high-visibility defeat frequently leads to flat, low-scoring follow-up games as lineups look mentally drained and pitchers exploit early rust.

This matchup perfectly aligns with that trend. The Mets rank near the bottom of the NL in recent scoring, and their lineup—already inconsistent—should struggle to generate consistent traffic against Imanaga, who keeps the ball in the yard and limits hard contact. On the flip side, Chicago’s offense has been streaky and faces a Senga who, while allowing plenty of runs overall, still flashes strikeout stuff (28 K in 24 IP) when his command holds.

This is the perfect time to buy low on Senga. Limited to just 24 innings due to injury, he’s been torched early in returns, but Citi Field and a motivated home crowd could help him settle in for a serviceable 4-5 inning outing. This is the perfect time to buy-low on the struggling Mets starter, who we know is better than he’s shown so far this season.

Monday night baseball after SNB often plays lower-scoring due to rest disadvantages and public overreaction to weekend explosions. With the total sitting at 8.5 and both starters capable of inducing weak contact or swings-and-misses, expect a grind-it-out affair that stays below the number. The sharps are on the under in Queens tonight; I’ll meet you at the cash counter when it cashes.