Game 50 of 162
Cubs 4 - Mets 2 (Wrigley Field, Chicago)
Mets record: 25-25
Mets streak: Lost 2
WP - Marcus Stroman (4-4)
LP - Kodai Senga (4-3)
SV - Mark Leiter Jr. (2)
Seat on the Korner: Marcus Stroman
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
Marcus Stroman was masterful, holding the Mets to only a Francisco Alvarez two-run homer, throwing only 88 pitches over eight innings and inducing ground balls when needed to get out of trouble. Stroman's efficiency was all the more glaring as Kodei Senga labored through 106 pitches over five innngs.
Need to Know
Senga, held out one day so he could pitch on his Japanese league-typical seven days rest, had control problems, walking batters in the first four innings. He also had to pitch out of trouble in the fifth, which was probably his most effective inning. But by then, he was spent.
On a night when the temperature hovered around 50 mph and a 20 mph wind was blowing in from center field, two home runs were hit -- one by Francisco Alvarez and the other by Nico Hoerner.
Tommy Hunter warmed up in the fourth and fifth, but manager Buck Showalter chose instead to bring in Drew Smith to pitch the sixth. Smith gave up the home run to Hoerner, the second consecutive appearance in which he has given up a homer.
The Cubs' Christopher Morel cotninued his hittng streak, now at all 13 games he has appered in this year, but Mets pitchers did not yield a home run to him, a rarity for Morel this year.
Brandon Nimmo's road hitting streak ended at seven games. After being fooled by Stroman in his first two at-bats, Nimmo tried to bunt -- twice -- in the sixth with Alvarez on first. It was unclear whethe he was trying to sacrifice or get a base hit. He ended up grounding into a double play started by Stroman.
Trying to shake things up, Pete Alonso attempted to steal second in the top of the fourth but ended up being doubled off first when Brett Baty flied out.
Carlos Carrasco takes the mound Thursday night, trying to stop the losing streak two. His mound opponent is Kyle Hendricks, making his season debut.
Turning Point
After taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, Senga gave it back, and then some, in the bottom of the frame, starting with a walk to Nico Hoerner. Dansby Swanson scored him with with a hard-hit double, Seiya Suzuki hit double to score Swanson and Mike Tauchman hit a bullet single that plated Suzuki. It was all downhill from there as Stroman cruised.
3 Keys
Francisco Alvarez had two hits, including his sixth home run, but couldn't pull off late-inning magic, grounding into a double play with Starling Marte on third and Mark Canha on first in the top of the eighth.
Despite laboring through his five innings, Kodei Senga was able to limit the Cubs' scoring to the third inning. It was unclear if Senga was affected by the weather -- Senga said he wasn't. Senga's home-away splits are odd: a 1.67 ERA and .160 batting average against at Citi Field and a 6.30 ERA and .288 batting average against on the road.
Jeff Brigham continues to move up in the bullpen pecking order, pitching a clean eighth. Going into the game, Brigham had a 0.78 WHIP, the second best mark in the NL and the fifth best in MLB for relief pitchers. He has yet to allow a run in 9.1 innings over nine games on the road -- much more effective than he has been at Citi Field.