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The New York Mets will look for some way to finally pick up a win as they wrap up their series against the Chicago Cubs this afternoon.

New York is now riding a 10-game losing streak, and I like Chicago to win again in my Mets vs. Cubs predictions. Keep reading to see why and get all my free MLB picks for Sunday, April 19.

Who will win Mets vs Cubs today: Cubs (-121)

The New York Mets are shaking things up this afternoon by starting Tobias Myers (0-1, 3.46 ERA). Myers has been capable as a starter in the past, but hasn’t thrown more than three innings in a game this season, so New York will need to dip deep into its bullpen this afternoon.

That’s a tough recipe for success against the Chicago Cubs right now. They've averaged 8.5 runs per game over their last six contests, and I don’t see Myers or the rest of the Mets staff shutting them down completely.

With the New York offense floundering right now, I like Chicago to find a way to win this game at home.

COVERS INTEL: The Mets bullpen has a solid 3.96 ERA this season, with Huascar Brazoban and Craig Kimbrel each yet to allow an earned run on the year.

Mets vs Cubs Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-130)

To say the Mets are struggling to score runs is a massive understatement. New York has put up a total of 18 runs in its 10-game losing streak, getting shut out three times in that span.

That means it’ll be up to the Cubs to try to carry this total. And as we saw yesterday, these Mets pitchers are doing their part to keep the team in games, even if it hasn’t been enough to get wins.

New York has hit the Under in four of its last six games, and I’m expecting another low-scoring affair that plays out like yesterday’s game.

Mets vs Cubs odds

• Moneyline: Mets +115 | Cubs -135
• Run line: Mets +1.5 (-235) | Cubs -1.5 (+175)
• Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8

Mets vs Cubs trend

The Cubs have won five of their last six games. Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Cubs.

How to watch Mets vs Cubs and game info

Mets vs Cubs latest injuries

Mets vs Cubs weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Team News

Corbin in the clutch! Carroll belts 4th career slam to lift D-backs to series win

Since April 4, the bullpen has allowed 12 earned runs in 46 innings, that’s a 2.35 ERA.

“They’ve been really good,” Carroll said. “It seems like whoever comes out of that gate is ready to go from pitch one and is attacking hitters, and it’s been really fun to play behind them. Those guys got a tough job, and so it’s a huge credit to them that they’ve been taking care of business the way they have so far.”

https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/corbin-carroll-s-grand-slam-leads-d-backs-to-win-over-blue-jays

Corbin Carroll’s grand slam lifts Diamondbacks to series win over Blue Jays

“We talk about building innings here,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I think we’ve been very efficient with runners in scoring position so far this season, and the right guys in the right spot came up. I thought the Marte at-bat — I loved how Vargas got on. I loved AT’s base hit — but I thought the Marte at-bat was critical to load the bases for the next two guys. Corbin deserves the credit, but the rest of the guys built the inning for him and that’s what we stand on.”

https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/corbin-carroll-grand-slam-blue-jays/3618281/

Corbin Carroll’s Massive Grand Slam Erases D-backs’ Mistakeshttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/corbin-carroll-massive-grand-slam-erases-d-backs-mistakes

D-backs Teammates React to Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Incredible ACL Return

Dave McKay (first base and outfield coach): “It was unbelievable seeing him at Spring Training, doing the things that he was doing. As a matter of fact I had to force him stop doing our drills. He’d come out when we do our drills, and there were certain things that we couldn’t have him do. He was insisting, finally I had to get the trainers and say get this guy out of here.”

https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/d-backs-teammates-react-lourdes-gurriel-jr-acl-return

Full Q&A With D-backs’ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on his Rapid ACL Rehab

Did Rivera feel like this timetable was realistic all along?

“Yes, and also because of my added performance, my dedication. He understood what type of player I am. It’s not an easy rehab. But understanding my dedication to the process, he was in agreement.” https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/d-backs-lourdes-gurriel-jr-rapid-acl-rehab

Diamondbacks Brandon Pfaadt adjusting to bullpen lifehttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/how-brandon-pfaadt-adjusting-new-bullpen-role

Diamondbacks Sign Former Yankees Infielder
https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/diamondbacks-sign-former-yankees-infielder-velasquez

Other Baseball

Mets in free fall after losing 10th straight game
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48525192/mets-freefall-losing-10th-straight-game

Phillies put closer Jhoan Duran on IL with strained obliquehttps://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48526192/phillies-put-closer-jhoan-duran-il-strained-oblique

J.T. Realmuto Leaves Game Due To Lower Back Tightnesshttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/04/j-t-realmuto-leaves-game-due-to-lower-back-tightness.html

Sale passes Glavine on K’s list, dominates Phils for Braves’ 4th straight winhttps://www.mlb.com/news/chris-sale-continues-stellar-start-to-2026-vs-phillies

The visiting team won a 21-inning college game on a walk-off balk — wait, what?https://www.mlb.com/news/21-inning-college-game-ends-on-walk-off-balk

1 early-season development each team can believe in
https://www.mlb.com/news/2026-early-season-developments-to-believe-in-each-mlb-team

Anything Goes

This day in history:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/april-19

The American Revolution began at Lexington, in 1775.

This day in baseball:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/April_19

1997 – A major league game is played in Hawaii for the first time. The San Diego Padres, who gave up three home games to further baseball relations and to allow renovations at Jack Murphy Stadium, play host for a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at spacious Aloha Stadium. The Cardinals win both games, 1 – 0 and 2 – 1.

The oldest English word is ‘town’.

This is one of the oldest words in the English language that is still in use. The first dictionary took note of this in 1755.

Tomato ketchup was used as medicine for 16 years.

Whether you love it or hate it, this condiment once had a place in the world beyond hotdogs. However, you’d be surprised to know that ketchup only had tomatoes in it starting 1834. Before, ketchup was made with a mix of fish and mushrooms. When Dr. John Cooke Bennet added tomatoes to the mix, he claimed that the antioxidants gave it a medicinal property. He had a pill salesman turn his tomato ketchup into pills and claimed it could treat diarrhea, indigestion, jaundice, and rheumatism.

oan of Arc convinced Charles VII she could lead his armies with no experience. She routed the English, survived a 60-foot escape leap from a tower uninjured, was falsely accused of heresy, and burned at the stake, all between the ages of 17 and 19. She was guided by voices only she could hear.

The sound made by the Krakatoa volcanic eruption in 1883 was so loud it ruptured the eardrums of people 40 miles away, traveled around the world four times, and was clearly heard 3,000 miles away. That’s like standing in New York and hearing a sound from San Francisco.

The Mariners are in a hole.

The Mariners have played 22 games this year, or about 13.5% of the 2026 season. They are 9-13 and in fourth place in the AL West. They’ve had losing streaks of four games and five games and haven’t looked particularly competent against anybody but the free-falling Astros. It’s been a less than ideal start for a team that was considered the favorites in the American League on Opening Day.

Where do things stand?

The Mariners are still the favorites to win the AL West, but they’ve lost about 14% from their division odds, according to FanGraphs. The Rangers, in turn, have added about 14% to their odds to win the division, after starting 11-10. Most of that movement comes from the Rangers three-game sweep of the Mariners in Arlington last week. The ongoing series this weekend is tied 1-1 ahead of Sunday’s rubber match. It’s suddenly a massive game for the Mariners, who need to start making up ground on the Rangers specifically in case they wind up tied 5 1/2 months from now.

The projections are still quite bullish on the Mariners overall. They hold the second best World Series odds in the American League and the fourth best odds in the majors. They haven’t really bottomed-out or experienced any major injuries to deter the projections. They also aren’t alone in their slow start: the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Phillies and Mets have each started several games below .500 despite strong projections. This is just kind of how it goes — even great teams tend to play poorly at some point each season.

But as Dan Szymborski recently pointed out for FanGraphs, teams can play themselves out of the postseason with a bad April. With fairly even competition in the American League this year, a few extra losses early puts pressure on an outsized win streak later in the year. To some extent, the Mariners have used up one of their allowable skids right out of the gate. I wouldn’t say they’re far behind, but they are indeed behind.

The good news? The Mariners aren’t necessarily playing too bad. They don’t need to right the ship so much as wait for it to level off. Their offense has been middle of the pack with a 96 wRC+, and their pitching has been elite, leading the league in FIP and WAR. This certainly isn’t their top gear, but Base Runs estimates the Mariners record at 12-10 — they’ve been “unlucky,” in other words.

What the heck are Base Runs? You’re likely familiar with run differential, which gives us a clue about a team’s quality by looking at how many more (or less) runs they score than their opponents. Base Runs takes this a step further and estimates a team’s quality based on their performance in individual at bats. Basically, it’s more nuanced way of looking at total bases — are you getting on base and advancing bases more than your opponent? One way to think about it is five doubles in an inning and five doubles scattered across a game provide the same amount of information on a team’s true talent, according to Base Runs.

It turns out this works quite well for predicting future success. Base Runs has become one of the essential metrics for, “Is my team playing as good (or bad) as I think they are?” Right now, the Mariners are playing OK. They’ve bested their opponents by Base Runs in most games this year, including a few they ultimately lost. They’re getting on base a decent amount, but they’ve been especially good at keeping their opponents from getting on base. Plus, Base Runs is agnostic on Jo Adell’s Big Night — there’s a very real world where the Mainers are 13-9 right now.

Of course, by “very real world,” I mean no such thing. The Mariners really did lose those games, and they really do have to make up that ground. And there are legitimate reasons for concern. The lineup has struggled, though it’s more complicated than that. The Mariners leadoff and 5-9 hitters have posted a 122 wRC+ — third best in the majors. But their 2-4 hitters have posted a a league-worst 53 wRC+. That’s pretty much been the difference between the Mariners and their potential so far. Those spots in the lineup have been occupied by Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, and Josh Naylor, a trio that was projected among the best in the majors. You could look at this one of two ways: 1) these guys are pretty much locks to wind up well above average, and surely their best days are ahead of them, or 2) they’re wasting a narrow window where everything else has gone right.

The other notable hangup isn’t unexpected. The Mariners defense is just plain bad. I mean, it’s “too early to say anything definitive about 2026,” but they were quite bad last year, so I expect as much again. I am encouraged by Cole Young’s new range, to be fair, but that seems to be offset by Brendan Donovan playing out of position (and maybe hurt).

That’s all to say:

• The Mariners were supposed to be good and they’re still supposed to be good
• They have played OK and probably better than their record indicates
• The pitching has been great, full stop
• The hitting has been great, except for the players who were supposed to be great, who have been terrible
• The Mariners haven’t bottomed out, but the pressure is on

I’ll check in on these figures again at the 40-game mark in three weeks.

The Kansas City Royals (7-14) will try to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees (12-9). The Royals have lost six consecutive games, including a 13-4 decision to the Yankees on Saturday. Starting pitchers are Cole Ragans for Kansas Cityvand Ryan Weathers for New York.

How to watch Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees

• Date: Sunday, April 19

• Time: 1:35 p.m. ET / 10:35 a.m. PT

• Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

• TV Channels: YES, Royals.TV

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Kansas City Royals: 7-14 (No. 5 in AL Central)

• New York Yankees: 12-9 (No. 2 in AL East)

Odds

• Spread: New York Yankees -1.5

• Moneyline: New York Yankees -150 (57.4%) / Kansas City Royals +125 (42.6%)

• Over/Under: 7.5

Starting pitchers

Kansas City Royals: Cole Ragans (0-3, ERA: 3.78, K: 16, WHIP: 1.38)
New York Yankees: Ryan Weathers (0-2, ERA: 4.29, K: 28, WHIP: 1.38)

Weather: 47°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 47,309 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

Dodgers affiliates managed one win in five games on Saturday.

Player of the day

Tulsa first baseman Joe Vetrano hit a two-run home run in the first game of a doubleheader, then added two more hits in the nightcap, scoring the walk-off winner on an error.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Jack Suwinski homered twice, but the Comets allowed five runs in the eighth inning in a loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies).

Chayce McDermott, acquired by trade from the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, made his organizational debut Saturday with a scoreless seventh inning, at the time protecting a three-run lead. But the right-hander also started the eighth inning with a hit batter and walk, ending his night. Both scored in the fateful five-run frame.

Jackson Ferris allowed three runs in four innings, and walked five, continuing a theme of his first three starts in Triple-A. Ferris for Oklahoma City has faced 50 batters and walked 10 of them, with six strikeouts and nine runs allowed in 13 1/3 innings.

Double-A Tulsa

Payton Martin struck out five in five innings, allowing only one run in the nightcap of the Drillers’ doubleheader split with the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners).

Wyatt Crowell walked three of his first 33 batters faced this season, but on Saturday the left-hander walked five batters in two-plus innings and allowed six runs, four of them earned in the first game of the doubleheader.

The opener got lopsided enough that catcher/infielder Yeiner Fernandez, he had a two-run double earlier, pitched the top of the seventh inning down seven runs. Naturally, he got all three batters he faced on 11 pitches, the only 1-2-3 inning of the game for Great Lakes. Not a bad professional pitching debut for the 23-year-old.

Roque Gutierrez pitched the final two innings of the nightcap to earn the win.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons scored only one run, in the first inning in a loss to the Dayton Dragons (Reds).

Mike Sirota drove in said run with an RBI double, his third straight game with a double. Sirota also singled on Saturday, extending his hit streak to eight games.

Zach Root, the Dodgers’ top draft pick in 2025 out of Arkansas, had to leave his start with one out in the second inning after appearing to roll his right ankle in securing an out at first base to open the frame. After a long conversation with a trainer and manager Jair Fernandez, Root was pulled from the game, replaced on the mound by Dilan Figueredo.

It was a bad-luck start in general for Root, whose first batter in the first inning reached on an error and scored an unearned run. Figueredo allowed an unearned run of his own, then saw one of his bequeathed baserunners score in a wild pitch in the fifth inning. That’s the only earned run allowed this season by Figueredo, who pitched 3 1/3 innings on Saturday. He has seven strikeouts against only one walk in his four appearances and 9 2/3 innings.

Nicolas Cruz struck out four in three innings of relief, and allowed one run on hit and a walk. He has 13 strikeouts and two walks in nine innings this season.

Class-A Ontario

Tower Buzzers pitchers allowed runs in seven different innings in a blowout loss to the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies).

Starter Marlon Nieves, fresh off winning California League player of the week, allowed five runs, four earned, in two innings. Isaac Ayon followed with three innings with six more runs allowed.

Ontario tried to keep pace on offense, with Jose Hernandez hitting two home runs and catcher Conner O’Neal adding a grand slam. But they still lost by 10.

Tradition: Though minor leaguers are culinarily provided for these days while at work — gone are the days of maybe peanut butter and jelly plus a loaf of bread in the clubhouse — one longstanding unwritten code persists, that major league players while rehabbing in the minors take care of their temporary teammates with a postgame spread. Brock Stewart after his second appearance with Ontario on Friday night brought in Chipotle for the team.

Saturday scores

• Albuquerque 8, Oklahoma City 6
• Arkansas 12, Tulsa 5 (Game 1)
• Tulsa 2, Arkansas 1 (Game 2)
• Dayton 4, Great Lakes 1
• Fresno 18, Ontario 8

Sunday schedule

• 10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Christian Zazueta) vs. Dayton (Nestor Lorant)
• 11 a.m.: Tulsa (Luke Fox) vs. Arkansas (Adam Leverett)
• 12:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Cole Irvin) at Albuquerque (Sean Sullivan)
• 1:05 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) vs. Fresno (Brady Parker)

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It’s never too early for baseball panic meters to go into overdrive, and the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays lead the list of teams under the microscope heading into today’s action.

The Mets’ 10-game losing streak is especially alarming, but there are more encouraging signs elsewhere in the NL East, and my MLB player props include a wager on Ozzie Albies, who’s delivering for the division-leading Atlanta Braves.

Read on for more on Albies and my other favorite MLB picks for the April 19 slate.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Mike Trout	Over 1.5 total bases	+110
Kevin Gausman	Over 5.5 strikeouts	+104
Ozzie Albies	Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI	-115

Mike Trout Over 1.5 total bases (+110)

The Mike Trout hot streak continued last night with a double off San Diego Padres starter German Marquez, and he’s now mashed 10 hits across his past eight outings.

That stretch includes five homers, with Trout putting this L.A. Angels offense on his shoulders. He’s posted a .500 OBP and a 1.115 OPS in day games so far this season, and I like this price for 2+ bases today.

San Diego’s Michael King is in the firing line today at Angel Stadium and, despite his solid start to the year, he gave up a hit to Trout in their lone head-to-head career battle.

• Time: 4:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Angels.TV, FDSN-West

Kevin Gausman Over 5.5 strikeouts (+104)

Injuries have derailed the Toronto Blue Jays’ opening month, and they desperately need Kevin Gausman to steady the ship today against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’s been his usual reliable self through four starts this year, with a 2.42 ERA and 0.85 WHIP, and he’s already racked up 31 strikeouts.

Toronto has struggled to collect Ks in this series against Arizona, but Gausman can at least point to impressive numbers in his matchups with key Arizona hitters. Nolan Arenado and Ketel Marte are a combined 7-for-43 against him, with five strikeouts.

Look for the stumbling Jays to ride Gausman as long as possible after another disastrous Jeff Hoffman bullpen outing last night.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet, Dbacks.TV

Ozzie Albies Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-115)

Ozzie Albies has been one of the engines for the Atlanta Braves’ eye-catching 14-7 start, and he’s picked up 11 hits in his last 10 contests, with six RBI in that span. I’m counting on that consistency here.

The Braves have scored 6+ runs in four of their past six outings, and Albies has nailed this Over in three of his last four games.

Today, he faces Philadelphia Phillies rookie Andrew Painter as Atlanta goes for the sweep, and Albies will be a danger man in the heart of the lineup on the heels of a double and a single yesterday off Cristopher Sanchez.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FOX

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Fernando Tatis Jr. still does not have a home run on the season and for San Diego Padres fans and the superstar right fielder, that is hard to comprehend. While the power has not shown up for Tatis Jr. after 20 games into the season, he has been an offensive contributor and proved that once again with a 2-for-4 night, with two RBI, a walk and a strikeout. That was enough to help the Padres score four runs over the eighth and ninth innings to beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-1 at Angel Stadium on Saturday night. German Marquez started on the mound for San Diego and seems to be improving each time he takes the ball. The former Colorado ace did not get the win, but he did complete 5.2 innings of shutout baseball, allowing two hits with five strikeouts and two walks. The Padres bullpen took over for the remainder of the game and saw Jason Adam surrender a run in the eighth, but he also worked out of trouble in what could have been a much bigger inning for the Angels. Mason Miller, who has been automatic to this point in the season, closed the game out to secure the win and set San Diego up with a chance to take the series in the rubber match on Sunday at 1:07 p.m.

Padres News:

• Ramon Laureano has been the most consistent hitter for the Padres this season and that has resulted in him climbing the lineup to the leadoff spot. He attributes some of his success this season to new San Diego hitting coach Steven Souza Jr.

• Not to be lost in the celebration about the win for the Padres and the late offense was the early defense from centerfielder Jackson Merrill. He and Tatis Jr. had a near miss collision in the outfield while each attempting to rob the same potential home run, which was actually brought back by Merrill to keep the game scoreless in the early innings.

Baseball News:

• Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers has a 50-game on base streak, but his offensive dominance was not enough to keep the Colorado Rockies from winning 4-3.

• A college baseball game went 21 innings before the visiting team finally got the win on a walk-off balk.

• Chris Sale turned another quality start for the Atlanta Braves and helped his team knock off their division rival Philadelphia Phillies.

• Tarik Skubal recorded 10 strikeouts and helped the Detroit Tigers get past the Boston Red Sox.

• The New York Mets dropped their 10th game in a row with another loss to the Chicago Cubs.

• Corbin Carroll hit his fourth career grand slam and lifted the Arizona Diamondbacks to a win.

• Gavin Williams has been making a name for himself this season and turned an 11-strikeout performance for the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.