The New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs have played each other 744 times in the regular season and four times in the playoffs. Many of these games have been important with playoff implications. In 1969, the Mets won five of their last six against Chicago on their way to an NL East crown. And who can forget 2015, when the Mets lost all seven regular season games to their NL foes, before returning the favor in the National League Championship Series. The two teams have played many other important games in the 58 year history of the New York Mets.

It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that the three-game series that starts Tuesday between the Mets and Cubs are among the most important these two franchises have played in years, certainly since the 2015 NLCS. And if playoff games are discounted, these trio of games are the most significant they’ve played in quite some time.

As play begins on Tuesday, the Mets (67-63) are two games behind the Cubs (69-61) for the second wild-card in the NL. The two teams do not play again in the regular season after this week. New York and Chicago split a four game set at Wrigley Field in June. The Mets have had their problems with the North-Siders, losing 11 of their last 14 games against the Cubbies.

The Mets, despite coming off losing three in a row against the Atlanta Braves, have done well in the second half. They have won 10 of their last 13 series, including eight off their last ten. Their record since the break is 27-13. The Mets pitching staff has compiled a 3.10 ERA in the second half which is the best in the majors. The offense has struggled some lately as the Mets have scored only nine runs in their last four games.

Citi Field, a place where the Mets have struggled in the past, has turned out to be a haven for the Mets this year as they are 37-24 at home. Since the break, they are 14-5. New York plays 20 of its final 32 games at Citi Field, the most home games of any team in the Majors.

Conversely, the Chicago Cubs have been abysmal on the road this year. Their 25-39 road record is the among the worst in the National League. Only the Miami Marlins and the Cincinnati Reds have fewer road wins. They play 17 of their final 32 games on the road.

Like the Mets, the Cubs are coming off being swept, losing three straight to the red-hot Washington Nationals. It was the first time since September 2017 the Cubs have been swept at home in a series of at least three games. Before the Nationals’ set, the Cubs won five straight to put themselves firmly in contention for a wild card birth. They are also percentage points behind the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.

The Cubs rank sixth in the NL in offense (one position higher than the Mets, who are seventh), having scored 638 runs in 130 games, an average of 4.9 runs per game. They have a .251 team batting average and a .778 OPS. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .290 to lead the team. Rizzo is tied with Javier Baez in RBIs for the Cubs with 82. Kyle Schwarber has 30 home runs to pace Chicago while Kris Bryant leads his team with 91 runs scored. The Cubs have blasted 203 homers for the year which is fourth in the NL. They have a run differential of +63 which is also fourth best in the senior circuit.

As far as pitching, Chicago ranks third in the NL with a 4.13 team ERA. Their BAA is .250. The ERA leader of the team is Kyle Hendricks with a 3.20 mark. His 1.10 WHIP also leads the team. The Mets will face Hendricks in the middle game of the series. Jose Quintana leads the team in wins with 11 while Yu Darvish leads the Cubs in strike outs with 176. Darvish will pitch the opening game of the set against the Mets.

Chicago ranks a poor 14th in team defense. Only the San Diego Padres have committed more errors than the Cubs. The Cubs have 90 errors on the season and a .981 fielding percentage. Incidentally, the team that’s one ahead of Chicago in team defense are the Mets who have 89 miscues.

The Chicago Cubs are managed by Joe Maddon. Maddon has managed the Cubs since 2015. Of course, in 2016, he led Chicago to their first World Championship in 108 years.

Maddon has two World Series wins in his career, the other coming in 2002. He is a three time manager of the year (2008, 2011, 2015) and one of the few managers in baseball history to win a pennant in each league. He led the Tamps Bay Rays to an AL pennant in 2008.

Maddon is in his last year of his contract with the Cubs and his future with the team is uncertain. Maddon has said he would love to stay on as the Cubs’ manager, and he has previously expressed confidence that he will. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein has maintained all along that the sides will sit down at season’s end to discuss Maddon’s future and what’s best for the organization.

Tuesday, August 27: RHP Marcus Stroman vs RHP Yu Darvish

2019 Stats: Stroman 7-11 record, 3.18 ERA (3.51 FIP), 1.780 WHIP, 8.2 Ks/9, 4.6 BB/9; Darvish 4-6 record, 4.43 ERA (4.76 FIP), 1.164 WHIP, 11.0 Ks/9, 3.2 BB?9

Yu Darvish gets the ball for the Cubs on Tuesday. The 25 year-old is the first pitcher in MLB history to have five straight outings with at least eight strikeouts and no walks. He is only 1-2 in those five outings. The streak is still in tact as he faces the Mets.

Last out, Darvish gave up six runs on seven hits against the Nationals. He has only two wins to his credit since April 27. He will be making his 27th start of the year on Tuesday.

Marcus Stroman was only able to pitch four innings in his last start against the Cleveland Indians. He left the game due to left hamstring tightness. But Stroman was undaunted telling the media, “I’m going to make that start against the Cubs on Tuesday.” Stroman has not pitched great for the Mets but seems to be a good luck charm as the Mets have won each of the four games he’s started. Stroman has recorded only one win as a Met. He has a 4.58 ERA in his brief stint with New York.

Wednesday, August 28: RHP Noah Syndergaard vs RHP Kyle Hendricks

2019 Stats: Syndergaard 9-6 record, 3.71 ERA (3.36 FIP), 1.175 WHIP, 8.8 K’s/9, 2.4 BB/9; Hendricks 9-9 record, 3.20 ERA (3.76 FIP), 1.095 WHIP, 7.7 Ks/9, 1.8 BB/9

Kyle Hendricks pitched a gem his last time out against San Francisco. He allowed zero runs on three hits through seven innings to notch his ninth win. He has allowed only one run in his last 14 innings pitched.

The problem with Hendricks is his ERA is about three runs higher on the road than at home. He has a 4.76 ERA on the road (13 starts) and a 1.79 ERA at home (11 starts).

Noah Syndergaard has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since the All-Star break. In eight starts since the break, Syndergaard has a paltry 1.82 ERA. He also has 55 strikeouts in his last 54 1/3 innings.

Last out, Noah got the win against the Indians, pitching shut-out ball for 6 innings allowing only two hits. He has been a dominant pitcher often overwhelming his opponents with his hard fastball and nasty slider. Syndergaard will be making his 26th start of the year against the Cubs. He is 1-1 lifetime versus Chicago with a 3.00 ERA.

Thursday, August 29: RHP Jacob deGrom vs LHP Jon Lester

2019 Stats: deGrom 8-7 record, 2.56 ERA (2.68 FIP), 1.037 WHIP, 11.5 Ks/9, 2.2 BB/9; Lester 10-9 record, 4.49 ERA (4.24 FIP), 1.446 WHIP, 8.7Ks/9, 2.5 BB/9

Jon Lester is in his 14th season and fifth with the Cubs. He has had an up and down campaign so far in 2019 and has lost three of his five August starts. In those starts he has pitched to a 8.51 ERA. Last out he gave up six runs on nine hits in a loss to the Nationals.

Lester has seen his ERA go up about 3/4 of a run since the break and has drawn the ire of the Chicago press and fans. Several Chicago writers have postulated that Lester could be the odd man out of the rotation if the Cubs make the playoffs.

Jacob deGrom is defending his 2018 Cy Young Award with vigor. He is 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA since the break. Jake has not given up more than two earned runs in his last nine starts. Last out versus the Braves, he gave up only one run on four hits throwing 107 pitches. As is all too frequent, his gem was a no decision in a game the Mets eventually lost.

DeGrom is 1-1 lifetime against the Cubbies with a 3.04 ERA. Rizzo (.435 BA, one HR) and Bryant (.357 BA, 2 homers) have had some success against the Mets ace.

Prediction: Well, it’s as close to a do or die as an August series can be. Both teams have to shake off the effects of being swept in their last three games. The Cubs recent pitching woes were exposed by the Nationals who scored 23 runs on 37 hits at Wrigley. The Mets were competitive in all three games against the Braves but could not get over the hump in any of them.

The overwhelming stat here though is the Cubs wretched road record. It’s that of a last place team. The Mets, who have done well at home this year, need to take advantage. There’s no way that the Mets should lose this series if they want to entertain any playoff dreams. So the pick here is the Mets take two out of three from the Cubbies and if they can get past Darvish in game one, a sweep is not out of the question.