Game Recap: Four-run eighth pushes Mets past Cubs

Vincent Carchietta - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 15 hours ago

QUEENS - At long last, this grueling 41-game stretch has ended for the Chicago Cubs (23-18), and it came to an end on a sour note. Despite this team playing by far the most demanding schedule in the majors to begin the season, they have been in first place for most of the season and remain in that position as things stand today.

They did, however, drop four of their final six games during this stretch, including two of three to the New York Mets (26-15) at Citi Field this weekend as they continue to prove they are one of the better teams in the MLB. As has been the case the past few seasons, the Cubs are a streaky team, especially on the offensive side, and you're starting to see some of those old trends return.

When this team is hot and hitting the ball well, everyone is hitting the ball well, but when the bats go cold, everyone goes cold. There is never an in between with this team, which can't continue if the Cubs want to be taken seriously. Given how well the offense played throughout this stretch, you had to know they would cool off eventually, and all it took was the best pitching staff in the game to cool them off as the Mets used a four-run eighth inning to pick up a 6-2 series-clinching win.

New York held the Cubs to 10 runs over the weekend, six of those runs coming in the 6-5 Cubs win on Saturday. Chicago hopes this doesn't continue as their schedule goes from being the toughest in the game to being the easiest remaining schedule the rest of the way. While the offense may not have done their part most of the weekend, Matthew Boyd certainly did his as the left-hander continues to impress on the mound.

Not only did Boyd give the Cubs six innings, but he did so, allowing only two runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out a season-high eight batters as he has arguably been the Cubs' most consistent starter this season. Chicago needed that type of effort from him, as Griffin Canning was slightly better, allowing just one run in six innings and striking out five.

Three of his five strikeouts came in the first inning as Canning got off to a great start by striking out the side in the first. The same can be said of Boyd, who not only struck out the side himself in the first, but struck out four of the first five hitters he faced. That string ended after a pitch hit Starlin Marte to become the first base runner of the game for either side.

Marte would come in to score as former Cubs catcher Luis Torrens delivered an RBI triple to put the Mets in front 1-0. Boyd managed to escape without further damage, but with this being the only run for several innings, it was looking as if one run would be enough to pick up the win.

It took the Cubs three innings to show signs of life, but with Dansby Swanson picking up a lead-off single ahead of a Justin Turner walk, the Cubs had a pair of runners on and no outs. Chicago was unable to push across a run in that inning, as their lack of a clutch hit early on would come back to haunt them.

Still holding their 1-0 lead in the fourth, the Mets tried to add on with a pair of two-out singles from Brandon Nimmo and Marte, only to be turned away from Boyd without further damage. Still with only one hit off Canning and entering the sixth, Pete Crow-Armstrong changed all that with one swing as he not only connected for the Cubs' second hit of the day, but also their first run as he reached the double-digit homer mark to tie him with Kyle Tucker for the team lead.

Their momentum wouldn't last long as Boyd started the bottom of the sixth with a pair of strikeouts before serving up a Mark Vientos homer that put the Mets back in front 2-1. Those were the only runs Boyd would allow as he managed to finish off the sixth before putting the game in the hands of Brad Keller and the bullpen.

The same can be said about the Mets, as Canning was done after the sixth, putting the ball in the hands of Reed Garrett and their pen. Given how easily Canning was able to maneuver through their lineup, seeing anyone different was a relief. With Michael Busch working a leadoff walk, it was the Cubs' offense in business. Two batters later, Nico Hoerner came through with a massive RBI double as he brought home Busch to tie the game before being stranded on the bases to end the inning.

With Keller tossing a scoreless seventh to keep things tied, Porter Hodge was called upon to take over in the eighth as he was pitching on back-to-back days for only the second time this season. Hodge has had an interesting season, and many fans want him to take over the closer role permanently the rest of the way.

That can't happen if he can't pitch on back-to-back days, and after serving up a lead-off homer to Francisco Lindor, you can see why he hasn't done that too often this season. While the Lindor homer would go down as the game-winning hit, the Mets' offense was far from finished in the eighth as Hodge was having a nightmare outing.

Two batters after the homer came a Pete Alonso double as he scored on a Vientos single that made things 4-2. That was all Craig Counsell needed to see from the right-hander as he went back to his pen and called on Gavin Hollowell, who has been very good since his promotion. Hollowell was greeted rudely, with Nimmo taking him deep to open his outing and capping off a four-run inning for the Mets, which saw them take a 6-2 lead into the ninth.

That would be all the offense they would need as Edwin Diaz retired the Cubs to secure the 6-2 series-clinching victory. With just three hits, the Cubs' offense continued their recent struggles at the plate, as it's hard to win a game when you have only three hits. Next up for Chicago are nine games against the Marlins and White Sox, as this is the part of their schedule they need to capitalize on.