Mets at Cubs
The "friendly confines" of Wrigley Field have been anything but kind to the New York Mets. The Mets have lost eight straight regular-season road games to the Chicago Cubs, a streak they’ll try to break in the second contest of a three-game set Tuesday.
Chicago improved its National League-best home record to 29-15 with a 5-1 victory in the series opener, getting a three-run blast from Anthony Rizzo and a strong outing from Jon Lester. The loss snapped the Mets’ streak of eight straight wins against the Cubs, including a sweep in last year’s NL Championship Series and a four-game sweep earlier this month in New York. The Cubs’ starting pitching, which limped into the All-Star break, has turned in four solid starts to begin the second half. The Mets will try to beat reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta for the second time in 2 1/2 weeks after touching him for four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings July 2 in New York.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), CSN Chicago, ESPN
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Noah Syndergaard (9-4, 2.56 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Jake Arrieta (12-4, 2.68)
Syndergaard, who has been battling bone chips in his elbow, received a few extra days coming out of the All-Star break. The 23-year-old has been inconsistent over the past couple of weeks, but he held the Cubs to one run over seven innings July 3 in New York. Syndergaard is 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA in two starts against Chicago.
Arrieta has not recorded a quality start in his last four outings and has lasted six innings in just one of those starts. The 30-year-old’s last outing before the All-Star break was a rough one, as he allowed six runs over six innings in a loss at Pittsburgh. Arrieta is 2-2 with a 2.48 ERA in six starts against the Mets.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York INF Wilmer Flores has hits in eight of his last 10 at-bats against the Cubs, and three of his nine homers this season have come against Chicago.
2. Chicago INF Javier Baez is 7-for-18 during a five-game hitting streak.
3. Mets INF Jose Reyes has hit safely in eight straight games against the Cubs dating to 2012.