Mets in a Sticky Situation Leaving Chicago
It seems that the Mets have righted the ship in many ways. The lineup is hitting. Starting pitching, for the most part, has been consistently strong. Manager Carlos Mendoza is pushing a lot of the right buttons. However, with the team on the verge of winning a series in Chicago against the Cubs, Mendoza turned the game over to Edwin Díaz. While Diaz stated he did exactly what he has always done before games, the umpires did not agree and ejected him before he could throw a pitch for a foreign substance on his hands. You can read more in-depth about that here. The Mets still won the series and are only one game out of a playoff spot with a record of 37-39; however, the Diaz situation has put a damper on the good vibes heading into the Subway Series against the Yankees. The Mets will be without their closer for 10 games.
Game 1: Mets 11, Cubs 1
The Mets got off to a great start in the series at Wrigley, winning the first game by the score of 11-1. The bats were out in full force and Jose Quintana had one of his better starts.
In two of the three games the Mets played in Texas, the offense did their jobs extremely well. This game was very similar. Every starter with the exception of Mark Vientos and Harrison Bader produced at least one hit. Leading the charge was Jose Iglesias, who if he continues at this pace, will give manager Carlos Mendoza a lot to think about regarding the starting second baseman spot. Iglesias was four for five with a run and three RBIs, bringing his season average up to .438. J.D. Martinez was two for four, driving in four and scoring twice including a three-run homer in the first. Brandon Nimmo was two for four with two RBIs on a two-run second inning home run and scored three times. From the leadoff spot, Francisco Lindor was three for five with two doubles and two runs scored. He seems to have found a new home at the top of the lineup.
On the mound for the Mets, Quintana was solid. He went 6.1 innings and surrendered one run (none earned) on four hits and walk while striking out eight. This was his third win of the year and lowered his ERA to 4.58. Adam Ottavino and Drew Smith went the final 2.2 innings and did not give up any runs.
The Cubs produced only one run on six hits in the game. Two of the hits were from Cody Ballinger with Christopher Morel, Patrick Wisdom, David Bote, and Miguel Amaya chipping in one hit each.
Rookie Shota Imanaga had been lights out this season. In his last start against the Mets, he won a 1-0 decision by going seven shutout innings. He entered this game with a 7-1 record and 1.89 ERA on the season. By the end of the game, after giving up 10 runs on 11 hits over 3 innings, his record is now 7-2 with an ERA of 2.96.
Game 2: Cubs 8, Mets 1
Continuing the trend of not-close games, the Cubs blew out the Mets as the Mets bats cooled off and Tylor Megill was shaky on the mound.
While the Mets produced seven hits on the game, that only resulted in one run. The only run was a solo home run by Francisco Alvarez, his third of the season. The Mets struck out 14 times, with Lindor and D.J. Stewart striking out three times each.
Megill gutted his way through a painful three innings, surrendering six runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts. With the loss, his record moved to 2-5 on the season and his ERA rose from 3.52 to 4.81. Danny Young went the next 1.1 innings, not giving up a hit, and Adrian Houser went 3.2 innings while giving up two runs (one earned).
Chicago scored eight runs on nine hits. Mult-hits came from Seiya Suzuki (two for four including a double), former Mets draft pick Pete Crow-Armstrong (two for four including a triple), and Morel (two for four including a home run).
Taking the mound for the Cubs, Jameson Taillon kept the Mets guessing for seven innings. He gave up one run on six hits and no walks while striking out ten. Following Taillon’s strong start, Colten Brewer and Hector Neris went the final two shutout innings.
Game 3: Mets 5, Cubs 2
The Mets take the rubber match of the series, driven by the long ball on offense and another strong start from Luis Severino. The win was not without controversy, however, as Diaz was ejected for a foreign substance before even throwing a pitch.
Three of the Mets five runs came courtesy of back to back home runs by Lindor (two-run) and Nimmo (solo) in the top of the third inning. Mark Vientos contributed a massive solo homer in the seventh, and Martinez drove in the other Mets run.
Severino further cemented himself as the staff’s ace, at least until the return of Kodai Senga from injury, or until he gets traded (if the Mets slide before the deadline). Over six innings, Severino shut out the Cubs while scattering only three hits. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out 10. The win moves his record to 5-2 with an ERA of 3.29. Dedniel Nunez entered for the seventh and gave up a two-run home run to Morel to cut the Mets lead to 4-2. Reed Garrett pitched a scoreless eighth to set up the drama in the ninth. After Diaz’s ejection, Smith came in and got two outs before giving up a single to Dansby Swanson. Jake Diekman came on to face pinch hitter Patrick Wisdom and struck him out to end the game.
For the Cubs offense, it was a struggle against Severino and they could not do enough against the Mets bullpen to get back into the game. Every batter that went to the plate for Chicago struck out at least once with Crow-Armstrong striking out three times. Morel’s two-run home run against Nunez represented all of Chicago’s scoring.
Javier Assad got the start for the Cubs and could not get out of the fifth inning while throwing 90 pitches. His final line was four runs on seven hits (though the fourth run was an inherited runner that scored when Keegan Thompson was in the game), with one walk and no strikeouts. The trio of Thompson, Tyson Miller, and Luke Little went the final 4.2 innings and gave up one run (the home run by Vientos).
With the series win over the Cubs, the Mets stand at 37-39 which is 13.5 games behind the first-place Phillies. However, they are only one game out of the final NL Wild Card spot. After an off day on Monday, the Mets are home at Citi Field to take on the Yankees for a two-game Subway Series. The 52-28 Yankees lead the Orioles in the AL East by one and a half games, and are only one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the majors. The Mets and Yankees have not met yet this year. It will be a reunion for Mendoza, who was the bench coach for the Yankees before being named Mets skipper.
Stats by espn.com
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