The Mets (40-38) were defeated by the Cubs (40-35) by a score of 1-0 Tuesday night at Citi Field.
Pitching:
Jonathan Niese turned in a solid outing for the Mets going 7 strong innings, allowing 1 earned run on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out five. The only run against him came in the 6th inning when Matt Szczur doubled to left-center field, scoring Cubs’ third baseman Kris Bryant.
Bobby Parnell was first out of the ‘pen for the mets, tossing an effective inning in relief, walking one and striking out one. Sean Gilmartin then pitched a perfect 9th, striking out two. Gilmartin, who hasn’t pitched in a week, lowered his ERA to a pristine 1.80 on the season.
Offense:
Welcome back Daniel Murphy, who hit a double in his return. He hit the ball hard every at bat, however, as well as making a few nice plays. Hopefully his return can spark something.
Lucas Duda and Kevin Plawecki each recorded base hits, while Curtis Granderson and Ruben Tejada each struck out multiple times. Granderson had an 8-game hitting streak before he went 0-4 today.
Since June 15, the Mets have averaged 2.1 runs per game, sporting a .182 batting average as a team, including Steven Matz‘s 1.000 average. The Mets failed to get a hit after the fourth inning.
Notes:
This was an important start for Niese, who was pitching against a team that may ask for his services in the near future. It was a strong showing which hopefully increases his trade value.
Michael Cuddyer left the game early with a “sore left knee.” More specific details to follow, but there was nothing that would make one think it was serious. He was replaced by Darrell Ceciliani.
In the postgame interview with Terry Collins, he was asked about the level of concern about the knee. He responded, “We won’t know anything until his MRI tomorrow morning, he didn’t feel like he could run on it.” Oh, good…
This was the Mets’ 8th shutout of the season, and their fourth 1-0 loss.
The Mets have now lost 7 consecutive games against the Cubs.
On Deck:
The Mets will send veteran Bartolo Colon (9-6, 4.89 ERA) to face off against the Cubs’ ace Jon Lester (4-6, 4.03 ERA) Wednesday night at Citi Field.
