Mets Beat Cubs 8-5 Powered By Baty and Lindor and Strong Bullpen

 

Mets LF Brandon Nimmo and 3B Brett Baty (Photo Credits to David Banks-Imagn Images)

The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 8-5 tonight at Wrigley Field to take two out of three games in the series and improve their record to 82-77.

The Met offense got off to a fast start in the top of the first after SS Francisco Lindor led off with a walk and two batters later, 1B Pete Alonso doubled.  DH Mark Vientos then hit a pop-up to SS Dansby Swanson, but Swanson caught it in foul territory and fell apart into the stands which allowed Lindor to automatically score.

LF Brandon Nimmo followed with a RBI single to score Alonso.

In the top of the third, Lindor hit a solo homer with one out.

In the top of the fourth, Nimmo and catcher Luis Torrens singled with one out and then 3B Brett Baty delivered a three-run homer.

After a scoreless top of the fifth, Nimmo singled with one out in the top of the sixth and two batters later, Baty reached on an infield hit.

CF Tyrone Taylor then drove in Nimmo and Baty with a two-run double.

RHP Nolan McLean gave up a two-out double to LF Ian Happ in the bottom of the first and then struck out DH Moises Ballesteros.

McLean dominated through the first four innings with eight strikeouts outside of a solo homer by RF Seiya Suzuki. 

McLean gave up another solo homer this time to Swanson in the bottom of the fifth and picked up two more strikeouts.

McLean ran out of gas in the bottom of the sixth after he walked Happ with one out and then gave up a ground-rule double to Ballesteros and a three-run homer to Suzuki and was then taken out.

His final line was 5.1 innings, five hits, five runs, two walks and a career-high 11 strikeouts.

McLean had great life of his fastball as well as a nasty break on his sweeper and curveball.

He picked up his fifth win and his ERA went up to 2.06.

RHP Ryne Stanek came in next and picked up last two outs in the bottom of the sixth.

LHP Brooks Raley followed in the bottom of the seventh and had a dominating inning striking out the side.

RHP Tyler Rogers threw a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

RHP Edwin Diaz closed it out with a scoreless bottom of the ninth and picked up his 28th save.

The Mets next game is tomorrow night, September 26 at the Miami Marlins at 7:10 p.m.