Following a Subway Series split at Yankee Stadium, the 34-27, second-place New York Mets took their talents to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field for a three-game tilt with the Chicago Cubs.

A veteran-heavy, mostly underperforming lineup – led by a 31-year-old Sammy Sosa, who would go on to hit 50 homers, and an underwhelming pitching staff in which right-hander Tim Worrell‘s 2.47 ERA in 54 games out of the bullpen led the team, by leaps and bounds in some cases – would all contribute to Chicago’s sixth-place finish in 2000.

Long story short, this was a team the Mets should have steamrolled. But, as the 2000 squad had a tendency to do at times, the boys had trouble finding their rhythm. And, as the story goes, it took a tough loss to snap themselves back into form.

A rainout postponed the first game of the series, so Mets right-hander Rick Reed squared off against Cubs righty Kevin Tapani in the opener on Tuesday, June 13.

Reed and Tapani each turned in fine efforts, allowing three earned runs apiece in 6.2 and seven innings of work, respectively.

Mark Grace‘s RBI double in the first put the Cubs ahead, 1-0, but the Mets tied it up in the second after Jason Tyner brought home Robin Ventura (walked and advanced to third on a Todd Zeile double) on a sacrifice fly.

Ventura put the Mets ahead in the fifth with a two-run double, but Chicago would chip away, eventually tying the game on a Brant Brown RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, ending Reed’s night.

Facing Glenallen Hill following back-to-back singles from Henry Rodriguez and Joe Girardi in the eighth, left-hander John Franco induced a double play ball but the return throw was bobbled by Zeile at first base, allowing Damon Buford to score the go-ahead run.

Lenny Harris reached on an error to start the bottom of the ninth, but the Mets went down quietly against former Mets reliever, Rick Aguilera.

The following afternoon, left-hander Mike Hampton led the Metsies out to avenge that defeat and leave the Windy City on a high note. For a while, it didn’t seem that would be the case.

Grace struck early again, bringing home Girardi with a first-inning single off Hampton, and, not to be outdone, so did Ventura, who crushed a leadoff homer off Cubs lefty Scott Downs to tie the game at one.

Following a 30-plus minute delay to start the game and a nearly two-hour rain delay after the first inning – to go along with his 211-minute wait to begin his last start versus the Yankees, which was eventually rained out – Hampton’s day was done.

The first Mets reliever out of the gate, Pat Mahomes, was greeted rudely by a solo homer from Augie Ojeda to put Chicago ahead 2-1. Benny Agbayani‘s sacrifice fly tied the game in the fourth, but the Cubs would strike back against former teammate Glendon Rusch in the bottom of the frame, going ahead 4-2.

Mike Piazza tattooed a two-out, two-run homer – his 17th of the season – off Cubs left-hander Daniel Garibay to knot things up at four in the fifth, and the Mets tacked on four more runs (two earned) in a wild sixth courtesy of a comedy of Chicago errors and RBI hits from Kurt Abbott, Melvin Mora, and Piazza, staking themselves to an 8-4 lead.

Agbayani’s third homer of the season in the seventh made it a 9-4 game, but no important Mets game would be complete without a little anxiety.

Turk Wendell allowed base hits to three of the five hitters he faced to start the seventh – allowing a run to cross – then walked Gary Matthews to unceremoniously end his outing.

Left-hander Dennis Cook gave up consecutive RBI hits to Ojeda and Willie Greene to start his day, cutting the Mets’ lead to 9-8, then walked Eric Young Sr., bringing Bobby Valentine out of the dugout again – this time in favor of Franco, who got Girardi to ground out.

Agbayani’s second homer of the game in the top of the ninth put the Mets ahead 10-8, and Armando Benitez closed out a much-needed win before an off-day and a weekend series in Milwaukee.

Al Leiter dazzled in the series opener versus the Brewers, allowing one run on three hits over eight innings, striking out seven and walking three – lowering his earned-run average to 3.00 on the season.

Agbayani continued his torrid streak with a solo homer off Brewers starter Jimmy Haynes in the first, and Piazza put things out of reach with a two-run shot in the sixth, giving New York a 6-1 lead which they’d ride to a 7-1 victory.

Southpaw Glendon Rusch turned in a quality start in the second game, allowing three runs over 6.1 innings, working around six walks with five strikeouts. But it just wasn’t enough to keep the good times rolling.

The Mets got to Milwaukee right-hander John Snyder for a run in the first to tie the game at one and Piazza’s RBI single in the fifth put New York ahead, 2-1.

Marquis Grissom‘s two-run single in the bottom of the sixth, combined with an extremely efficient day from the Brewers’ bullpen – and just as counterproductive final three innings from the Mets’ offense – sent the Mets to their third loss in five games.

Four games out of first place in the NL East, the Mets’ goal of usurping the Braves was well within reach. A series win against an inferior Brewers club before heading home for a 13-game homestand would be just what the doctor ordered.

Prescription filled – New York Mets.

Reed navigated his way around seven Milwaukee hits and a walk to get through seven innings with just three runs to his demerit.

Following Ronnie Belliard‘s solo homer in the first off of Reed and a couple of ho-hum innings, the Mets swung back with force in the fourth.

Matt Franco and Edgardo Alfonzo began the frame with consecutive hits off Jason Bere. Piazza’s double in the next at-bat tied the game at one and Jay Payton‘s sacrifice fly two batters later put the Mets ahead, 2-1.

After an Agbayani ground out, Kurt Abbott sent a Bere offering deep into the left-field seats to bring home Piazza and Agbayani, giving the Mets a 5-1 lead which they’d hold onto for a 7-3 win.

With the All-Star break a month away and an incredibly surmountable deficit between themselves and Atlanta, the Mets were surely gearing up for a dogfight.

The next two-and-a-half weeks at Big Shea, culminating with a June-ending series versus the Braves, would be a deciding factor in where this team was headed. Exciting times…