Cubs-Mets preview
NEW YORK -- The New York Mets feel far better about themselves midway through a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs than they did beforehand. However, the Mets and Cubs both know how quickly things can change before the series ends Sunday. The Mets will look to win their third straight against the Cubs on Saturday night when the teams meet at Citi Field. New York hit five homers Friday in a 10-2 win marred by three rain delays. "It's baseball, and there's nights where the good teams get beat," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "We had two well-pitched games. We've held that team down. They've got a very, very good team, and we've got to continue to play well." The Mets (42-37) scored just 13 runs in the six games prior to Thursday's series opener, but they outscored the Cubs by a total of 14-5 the past two nights. "I realize that it's the gloomiest days when you lose here, or if you lose two or three in a row, it's very hard to deal with," Collins said. "But it's a long year, and you can have some 'up' times as well." The Cubs (51-28) have spent most of the year enjoying those "up" times, but they are just 12-13 since June 5 and 4-8 in their past 12 games. Chicago remains 10 games ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central, but the Cubs are only 1 1/2 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants (51-31) in the race for the NL's best record and are in a virtual tie with the Texas Rangers (52-29) for the best record in baseball. Not surprisingly, perpetually upbeat Cubs manager Joe Maddon chose to look on the bright side Friday. "I'm very happy with where we're at," Maddon said. "We talked about getting off to a good start so that we can absorb some tough moments. The tough moment for us right now is playing .500. Not bad." It's also easier for a manager to remain optimistic when he has the reigning Cy Young Award winner and an ace left-hander ready to start the next two games. Jake Arrieta, who is 12-2 record and 2.10 ERA, is scheduled to start Saturday's game against Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon (6-4, 2.86 ERA). Veteran Jon Lester (9-3, 2.03) is scheduled to pitch the series finale Sunday afternoon against Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard (8-3, 2.49). "It's the power of 24 hours," Maddon said. "We've got two good pitchers coming up and a chance to split the series." Arrieta will be looking to snap out of a mini-skid Saturday. Over his past two starts, Arrieta allowed seven runs (six earned) and issued nine walks in 10 innings. In five career starts against the Mets, Arrieta is 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA. Colon, the oldest player in baseball at 43, is 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA in his past seven starts. He is 0-2 with a 3.89 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs, who are one of just two teams -- along with the Arizona Diamondbacks -- that Colon has never beaten. |