Mets Rally, Beat Cubs 4-3 To Halt Skid In NLCS Rematch

Yoenis Cespedes scored a big home run, Jeurys Familia pitched out of a huge jam in the ninth and rookie Brandon Nimmo keyed a three-run rally in the seventh to lead the New York Mets to a 4-3 home victory over the Chicago Cubs Thursday night in their first meeting since last year’s National League Championship Series.

Mets Rally, Beat Cubs 4-3 To Halt Skid In NLSC Rematch

The Cubs snapped a three-game winning streak, while the Mets had lost their previous four games, including a three-game road series against the Washington Nationals.

“It sure came at the right time,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “To come back against that team, first game of this 11-game homestand, I think it’s huge for us. It lifted the spirits of every guy in there.”

Kris Bryant gave the Cubs an early lead with a two-run homer off left-hander Steven Matz in the first. Matz, who pitched 5 1/3 innings on Thursday with an extra day of rest following an elbow examination earlier this week that revealed a bone spur, sat in the upper 90s with his fastball all night. He allowed seven hits and three walks, but only allowed one run– a homer by Javier Baez– after Bryant took him deep in the first.

Before leaving with one out in the seventh, Cubs starter John Lackey gave up only one run, Cespedes’ solo drive in the sixth. The right-hander also allowed five hits, walked two and struck out five.

Chicago threatened to regain the lead in the ninth, putting their first two batters in scoring position with no outs before Familia earned his 27th save in 27 chances.

“It’s like a 98-mile-an-hour lefty cutter — good luck,” Bryant said of the Dominican right-hander’s pitches. “I just think our last three at-bats, they were a little too anxious. He’s supposed to do that. That’s why he’s the closer on their team, that’s why he’ll have a long career. Sometimes you have to tip your cap.”

Cespedes’ homer in the sixth, which soared into the upper deck in left field and cut the Cubs’ lead to 3-1, was the longest home run by any Mets player this season. The ball came off the bat at 110 mph and would have traveled 441 feet unimpeded, according to MLB’s Statcast. ESPN Stats & Info had it at 466 feet.

“I think it woke us up, I really do,” Collins said. “He hasn’t hit one in a while, and that was a big one.”

In the seventh, after Travis d’Arnaud singled with one out, Cubs manager Joe Maddon elected to remove Lackey from the game, turning to new reliever Joel Peralta. The right-hander walked pinch-hitter Alejandro De Aza, then served up an RBI single to Nimmo. That brought up Neil Walker, whose bouncer to the right side forced Baez to charge. The second baseman fired toward third base on the run for a potential tag play but his throwing error ended up allowing two runs to score.

The Mets, who swept Chicago last October to reach the World Series, had lost nine consecutive regular-season games against the Cubs dating to August 2014.

“We made one mistake on defense, but otherwise it was a pretty good game of baseball,” Maddon said.

Nimmo, the 23-year-old outfielder who made his debut with the Mets on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, was thrilled after earning his first Major League RBI.

“I was absolutely ecstatic,” said Nimmo. “It is hard to put into words, because this is something that I’ve dreamed about ever since I was a kid.”

The two teams will face off again in the second of their four-game series at Citi Field on Friday night. RIght-hander Jason Hammel will start for the Cubs. Hammel is 0-3 with a 4.91 ERA in five career starts against the Mets.

Righty Jacob deGrom will take the mound for the Mets. DeGrom has not pitched with a lead in any of his last four outings despite a 2.77 ERA over that stretch, and will look to snap a personal 10-game losing streak when he opposes Hammel on Friday. Over those 10 starts, deGrom is 0-4 with a 3.13 ERA, 63 strikeouts and 15 walks.

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 30: Brandon Nimmo #9 of the New York Mets follows through on a seventh-inning, RBI base hit against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field on June 30, 2016 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)