|
 An alert Dexter Fowler dashed home from third base on a
seventh-inning passed ball to give the Cubs the go-ahead run on the
way to a 6-5 victory and a four-game series sweep of the New York
Mets on Thursday.
Mets catcher Anthony Recker mishandled Hansel Robles' 1-0 pitch with
two outs, allowing Fowler to score what proved to be the winning
run.
"I saw the ball go towards the dugout," Fowler said. "So anywhere if
it leaves the circle, I'm gone."
It was the second straight unusual Cubs win. On Wednesday, a
bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth gave Chicago a 2-1
victory.
"Some days you get beat and you tip your hat and other days you make
enough mistakes to lose games," Mets manager Terry Collins said.
"Those are the ones that get you."
On Thursday, the Cubs also proved that no deficit was too deep after
they fought back from a 5-1 deficit.
"We get down, nobody's panicking, nobody's saying we can't do this,"
Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I think there was a great
believability that we could do it and we did."
Right-handed reliever Pedro Strop (1-2) worked 1 1/3 innings for the
win and Hector Rondon pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Mets starter Jonathon Niese (3-3) took the loss.
Maddon claimed his 800th career win as the Cubs won their fourth in
a row.
The Mets, losers of four straight, suffered their first four-game
sweep at Wrigley Field since 1992.
Recker hit two solo home runs -- his first career multi-homer game
-- and Wilmer Flores added one to give the Mets an early 3-0 lead.
Recker's first came with two outs in the second inning and his next
came in the fourth after Flores cracked a shot to left center.
The Cubs got a run back in the fourth on Fowler's third homer of the
season. Leading off the inning, he sent Niese's 1-0 offering to the
corner of the left field bleachers to cut the Mets' lead to 3-1.
Cubs starter Travis Wood departed with one out in the top of the
fifth and runners on second and third.
Right-handed reliever Jason Motte completed the inning but not
before giving up a single to right fielder John Mayberry Jr. that
scored second baseman Dilson Herrera and first baseman Lucas Duda to
make it 5-1.
Wood was responsible for the runs, allowing five earned and seven
hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
The Cubs got Wood off the hook for the loss, scoring four runs
against Niese with one out in the fifth to forge a 5-5 tie.
[to top of second column] |
Left fielder Matt Szczur doubled home right fielder Jorge Soler with
none out and Szczur scored on a throwing error on second baseman
Addison Russell's grounder. After Fowler walked, first baseman
Anthony Rizzo made it 5-4 with his single to shallow center that
drove in Russell. Third baseman Kris Bryant tied it with an RBI
single to right that drove in Fowler.
Niese worked into the bottom of the seventh before hitting Rizzo
with a pitch with one out and departing in favor of Robles. Niese
worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing six hits, four earned runs and one
walk with one strikeout.
"Just nothing went right -- it was kind of a mixture between
everything -- bad walk, bad pitches. It's unfortunate," Niese said.
"The offense did a great job -- got us a lead and it was unfortunate
that I gave it up."
Wood, meanwhile, said he's not worried despite three straight
outings averaging more than six runs allowed.
"The last couple of games haven't gone the way I had hoped or
planned or worked for," he said. "But it's early. There's a long
season to get everything ironed out and we're going to get there."
NOTES: The Mets placed RHP Buddy Carlyle on the 15-day disabled list
retroactive to Tuesday because of back spasms. In turn, they called
up LHP Jack Leathersich from Triple-A Las Vegas for his second stint
this season. ... The Mets send RHP Bartolo Colon (6-1, 3.30 ERA)
against Brewers RHP Kyle Lohse (2-4, 7.03 ERA) in Friday's opener of
a three-game series at Citi Field. ... Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo was hit
by pitches twice on Thursday and has been plunked a league-leading
11 times. ... LHP James Russell made his 324th appearance with the
Cubs, one away from tying Willie Hernandez for most in team history
by a left-handed reliever. ... The Cubs swept the Mets in four games
for the first time since Aug. 6-9, 1992. ... Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks
(0-1, 4.65 ERA) takes the mound Friday against Pirates LHP Jeff
Locke (2-2, 4.71 ERA) to open a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
