After taking two (and almost three) from the Beermakers, the Mets roll into Chicago to take on the central division leading Cubs.
Record
| NL CENTRAL | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | RS | RA | Streak | Last 10 |
| Chicago Cubs | 57 | 50 | .533 | - | 29-26 | 28-24 | 501 | 442 | Lost 1 | 6-4 |
| Milwaukee | 58 | 51 | .532 | - | 37-19 | 21-32 | 524 | 497 | Lost 2 | 3-7 |
| St. Louis | 50 | 55 | .476 | 6 | 25-25 | 25-30 | 463 | 553 | Lost 2 | 5-5 |
| Houston | 46 | 61 | .430 | 11 | 28-25 | 18-36 | 473 | 552 | Lost 3 | 5-5 |
| Pittsburgh | 44 | 62 | .415 | 12.5 | 25-30 | 19-32 | 440 | 525 | Won 2 | 3-7 |
| Cincinnati | 45 | 64 | .413 | 13 | 24-29 | 21-35 | 497 | 567 | Lost 5 | 4-6 |
| W | L | RS | RA | W1 | L1 | W2 | L2 | W3 | L3 |
| 57. | 49. | 495 | 432 | 59.6 | 46.4 | 58.9 | 47.1 | 56.8 | 49.2 |
W1 and L1 are the expected wins and losses based on runs scored and runs allowed.
W2 and L2 are the expected wins and losses based on BP's equivalence runs scored and allowed.
W3 and L3 are similar to W2 and L2 but adjusted for strength of schedule.
The Cubbies are right where they should be, record-wise. Their actual won-loss ledger is supported by their run differential.
Starting Rotation
| Player | W | L | ERA | IP | H/9 | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | VORP |
| *Carlos Zambrano | 14 | 7 | 3.47 | 150.1 | 7.18 | 7.66 | 3.89 | 1.02 | 34.8 |
| *Ted Lilly | 11 | 5 | 3.60 | 137.2 | 7.78 | 7.26 | 2.29 | 1.05 | 31.0 |
| Rich Hill | 6 | 6 | 3.67 | 127.2 | 7.83 | 8.32 | 3.10 | 1.48 | 26.1 |
| Sean Marshall | 5 | 4 | 3.10 | 69.2 | 8.40 | 6.20 | 2.84 | 0.78 | 18.8 |
| *Jason Marquis | 8 | 6 | 4.22 | 128.0 | 8.23 | 5.06 | 3.66 | 1.20 | 12.7 |
* asterisks denote probable starters vs Mets
() parentheses denote negative numbers
italics denote left-handed pitchers
Bad draw for the Mets as they are saddled with two of the Cubs' three best starters, including impending free agent Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs were ridiculed for spending money so freely last offseason, but one place it has worked out so far is with Ted Lilly. His walk rate and strikeout-to-walk rate are both career best right now. Jason Marquis got off to a terrible start but has actually been pretty decent this season.
WPA Top Two
Carlos Zambrano, 2.00 WPA
Ted Lilly, 1.28 WPA
WPA Bottom Two
Wade Miller, -0.86 WPA
Jason Marquis, 0.02 WPA
Starting Lineup
| Player | Pos | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | CS | VORP | NL Rank |
| Jason Kendall | C | 41 | .229 | .325 | .286 | 0 | 0 | (-0.6) | 26/31 |
| Derrek Lee | 1B | 418 | .326 | .414 | .507 | 4 | 4 | 33.6 | 4/28 |
| Mike Fontenot* | 2B | 168 | .305 | .347 | .455 | 5 | 2 | 8.1 | 12/30 |
| Ryan Theriot | SS | 365 | .283 | .353 | .370 | 19 | 4 | 11.1 | 9/27 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 3B | 358 | .318 | .358 | .547 | 0 | 0 | 28.2 | 5/29 |
| Alfonso Soriano | LF | 458 | .298 | .338 | .517 | 18 | 4 | 27.9 | 4/31 |
| Jacque Jones* | CF | 300 | .242 | .309 | .338 | 2 | 2 | (-6.6) | 22/31 |
| Cliff Floyd* | RF | 217 | .294 | .359 | .396 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 16/28 |
* asterisks denote left-handed batters
# pound signs denote switch-hitters
rankings are based on VORP for players with at least 100 PA
Mixed bag here, as usual. Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano are all in the top five among National Leaguers at their respective positions. Something for the Mets to note about Soriano and Ramirez in particular: They never walk. In 458 plate appearances Soriano has drawn 20 unintentional walks. In 358 plate appearances Ramirez has drawn 17 unintentional walks. Former Met Cliff Floyd has done well in the on-base department, but his power seems to have all but disappeared. Jacque Jones has been a full two-thirds of a win worse than a replacement level outfielder this season, and Jason Kendall is right at replacement level.
WPA Top Two
Aramis Ramirez, 3.29 WPA
Derrek Lee, 2.03 WPA
WPA Bottom Two
Jacque Jones, -1.80 WPA
Ronny Cedeno, -0.97 WPA
Bullpen
| Player | ERA | IP | H/9 | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | VORP |
| Ryan Dempster | 2.95 | 39.2 | 6.13 | 8.39 | 4.31 | 0.23 | 11.3 |
| Bob Howry | 4.10 | 52.2 | 9.57 | 7.52 | 2.05 | 0.85 | 8.7 |
| Scott Eyre | 5.71 | 34.2 | 11.68 | 8.05 | 6.75 | 0.78 | 0.3 |
| Carlos Marmol | 1.59 | 39.2 | 5.67 | 12.03 | 3.86 | 0.45 | 18.2 |
| Rocky Cherry | 3.55 | 12.2 | 7.82 | 7.82 | 3.55 | 0.71 | 2.1 |
| Michael Wuertz | 3.51 | 48.2 | 8.14 | 9.06 | 4.07 | 0.92 | 11.0 |
| Will Ohman | 3.82 | 30.2 | 8.80 | 8.51 | 3.52 | 0.88 | 6.6 |
Lots of strikeout pitchers in the Cubbie bullpen, but plenty of walks, too. They have actually put together a pretty solid relief corps here, though Dempster is always a few pitches away from a meltdown at any given moment.
WPA Top Two
Ryan Dempster, 1.58 WPA
Carlos Marmol, 1.49 WPA
WPA Bottom Two
Scott Eyre, -1.24 WPA
Will Ohman, -0.75 WPA
Bench
| Player | Pos | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | SB | CS | VORP |
| Koyie Hill# | Bench1 | 91 | .162 | .233 | .287 | 0 | 0 | (-5.3) |
| Mark DeRosa | Bench2 | 360 | .288 | .369 | .433 | 0 | 2 | 13.6 |
| Ronny Cedeno | Bench3 | 47 | .143 | .178 | .310 | 1 | 1 | (-4.3) |
| Angel Pagan# | Bench4 | 151 | .275 | .320 | .457 | 4 | 1 | 5.2 |
| Matt Murton | Bench5 | 143 | .252 | .336 | .339 | 1 | 0 | (-1.0) |
Mark DeRosa has actually been solid, and does start quite a bit all over the field. Former Met farmhand Angel Pagan has shown decent pop off the bench. The rest of these guys have been dreck.
Manager
| Strategy | # Times | NL Rank |
| Pinch Hit | 158 | 11/16 |
| Stolen Base Attempts | 89 | 7/16 |
| Sacrifice Bunts | 36 | 13/16 |
Lou Piniella is in the middle of the pack with respect to the basic managerial tendencies.
Key Injuries
| Kerry Wood |
| Henry Blanco |
| Daryle Ward |
| Wade Miller |
| Angel Guzman |
Payroll
| Team Payroll | MLB Rank |
| $99,936,999 | 8/30 |