MLB: Chicago Cubs at New York Mets

Game recap July 2: This is fun. Let’s keep doing this

What Happened, In a Sentence:

The Mets continued to rock the Cubs like it’s the 2015 NLCS, winning 4-3 to take a 3-0 series lead.

Mets Get to Wild Arrieta Early

Jake Arrieta has continued to pile up strikeouts and weak contact this year, but his low earned run average has hid a fundamental change in his command this season. The powerful righty has gone from one of baseball’s lower walk rates (5.5 percent) to one of the highest (9.8 percent) this year. Mets hitters entered the game looking for a powerful but wild thrower who has struggled to get past the fifth inning this year. Brandon Nimmo worked a seven-pitch walk to lead off the game. Neil Walker got a fastball right over the middle on his 3-2 count and launched it off the foul pole for a two-run homer. Then it was Yoenis Cespedes’ turn to get a 3-2 count. He pulled a get-me-over slider for a double. Hitting with runners in scoring position has been a huge problem all season and it continued today as the next three hitters made outs.

After Bartolo Colon gave up a two-run homer to Anthony Rizzo to tie the game in the fourth, the Mets came back with their own rally. Asdrubal Cabrera singled and Alejandro De Aza worked a two-out walk after falling behind in the count 1-2. With the Mets struggles in clutch at-bats, it almost seems like they would need help to score, and they got some. Arrieta jammed Travis d’Arnaud on a fastball that went towards shallow center field. Jason Heyward got a terrible jump on the ball. Javier Baez – playing second after an injury to Chris Coghlan – tried to run after the ball and make a diving barehanded catch but he just missed and De Aza was able to score all the way from first on the bloop single. Colon made contact in the next at bat but couldn’t drive d’Arnaud in.

Colon Baffles With Tailing Fastball

Colon set the other tone for the game in the top of the second when he threw a 3-2 two-seam fastball that broke over the outside of the corner. Willson Contreras stared at the pitch for strike three, then gave a look to home plate umpire Laz Diaz. Umpires tend to give a little more room on the outside of the plate. Baseball’s oldest starting pitcher pulled the same trick against Kris Bryant when he came up as the tying run in the fifth. He also froze Rizzo with a two seamer breaking away in the sixth. This time Joe Maddon started barking at Diaz, and the complaints would only get louder as the game went on. Brooks Baseball’s strike zone maps suggest Diaz’s calls weren’t too unusual, and the Cubs benefitted as well.

Juan Lagares Back

The Mets activated Juan Lagares off the disabled list, demoting Seth Lugo after his first major league game. Lagares didn’t start but got a key at-bat in the sixth. De Aza singled after an eight pitch at-bat, then Terry Collins called a hit and run with d’Arnaud up. Amazingly, it worked. Collins sent Kelly Johnson to pinch hit for Colon, Maddon called on lefty Travis Wood, and the Mets manager turned to Lagares. He grounded out weakly in his first at-bat then stayed in as a defensive replacement, with Cespedes shifting to left and Nimmo moving to right.

Mets Bullpen Closes Door

Erik Goeddel was the first reliever to come out of the Mets bullpen. After getting two quick outs he gave up a line-drive homer to Ben Zobrist to make it a one-run game. Collins turned to Jerry Blevins for one job: retire Heyward. He got the first two strikes…and then four balls. Addison Reed was already warmed up and came in to face Bryant. After bouncing a slider to send Heyward to second, Reed came back with an inside fastball for the strikeout. Collins stuck with his primary setup man for the eighth inning. Rizzo singled on the first pitch. Contreras took another pitch on the corner for strike three looking, then complained to Diaz (who barked right back at Contreras). Reed fooled both Montero and Russell with sliders to end the threat. Jeurys Familia came on for the save. After Baez took a borderline strike three to lead off the inning, the Cubs showed they were going to threaten the ump more than the back end of the Mets bullpen. A grounder and a pop up later, the Mets win.

What’s Next:

The Mets look for a four-game sweep against the Cubs. Noah Syndergaard will face Jon Lester. No word if base stealers are already stretching their hamstrings in anticipation.

Photo credit: Adam Hunger-USA Today Sports

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