Payback Time IGT - Cubs @ Mets 7/1/15

[Frayed Knot]

OK, we've now lost five straight to these chumps, four of them by just one run and we're coming off (yet another) game of being held down by some nondescript pitcher.
Maybe the stakes need to be raised in order to get things going and Chicago tries that tonight with Jon Lester on the mound. We actually got to him for 3 runs over 6 IP (that's practically an orgasm of runs for this squad) earlier in the year but wound up losing anyway as deGrom picked that particular game to serve up two HRs in the 1st.
And, if nothing else, closing out this series with two wins would slide us ahead of the Cubbies for 1st runner-up in the WC race heading into the July 4th weekend.

[Edgy MD]

Good spirit.

[Lefty Specialist]

Bat Matz 4th and put him in left.

[MFS62]

New month.
New Streak.

Later

LETS

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

[Guest d'Kong76]

Chi. Cubs at NY Mets
When: 7:10 PM ET, Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
SportsDirect Inc.

The magician employed by Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon might not have been necessary, because the Cubs seem to have plenty of magic when they face the New York Mets. Chicago will aim for its eighth straight win over the Mets dating to last season when the struggling offensive teams continue a three-game series Wednesday at Citi Field.

Maddon brought in a magician to lighten the mood before Tuesday's series opener, which the Cubs claimed 1-0 behind an RBI double from Matt Szczur and a combined three-hitter from four pitchers. Cubs left-hander Jon Lester, the club's prized offseason acquisition, hopes to keep the Mets' bats quiet as he aims to snap a seven-start winless streak dating to May 16. Lester beat the Mets on May 11 in Chicago, holding them to three runs over six innings to improve to 2-0 in two career meetings. He will oppose veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon, who is 6-2 with a 4.78 ERA in eight home starts and has factored in the decision in all 15 of his outings this season.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Jon Lester (4-6, 4.03 ERA) vs. Mets RH Bartolo Colon (9-6, 4.89)

Lester has allowed four or more runs in three of his last five outings with a pair of quality starts sandwiched between. The 31-year-old had his shortest stint of the season last time out, going only four innings and allowing four runs in a loss to the Dodgers. Lester has issued seven walks in 10 1/3 innings over his last two starts.

Colon will take his third crack at picking up his 10th victory, having allowed 11 runs (10 earned) in 10 1/3 innings while losing his last two starts. The 42-year-old gave up four runs and 10 hits in six frames in a 4-1 loss at Milwaukee on Wednesday. Colon is 0-2 with a 4.73 ERA in five starts against the Cubs, but he has faced them only once since 2004.

WALK-OFFS:
1. The Cubs have scored eight runs in their past seven games, while the Mets have scored two or fewer runs in 10 of their last 12 contests.
2. Mets INF Daniel Murphy doubled for one of New York's three hits Tuesday in his first action since June 4.
3. Chicago is 28-0 when leading after eight innings and 28-1 when leading after seven.

[Guest d'Kong76]

[ashie62]

New month and all that crap.

[Guest d'Kong76]

@cgrand3 RF
Tejada SS
Duda 1B
Murphy 3B
@Jmayberryjr44 LF
Flores 2B
@kplawecki26 C
@juanlagares2 CF
Colon P

@kcmets #cpftoocool

[Guest d'Kong76]

Fowler CF
Rizzo 1B
Bryant 3B
Coghlan LF
Castro SS
Baxter RF
Ross C
Lester P
Herrera 2B

[Frayed Knot]

Didn't like IBB-ing Ross to get to the pitcher this early in the game
And then I like even less the idea of letting Ross just stroll down to 2B uncontested. So what if the Cubs try and pull the steal of home thing. There were two outs so as long as you get the slow-forted Ross it shouldn't matter. Of course that assumes the Mets 'D' makes a clean play but it beats a 2-run inning if Lester closes his eyes and makes contact. And, as we know, 2 runs might be more than we can overcome.

[Frayed Knot]

Mayberry with a leadoff double ... no chance of runs this inning.

[Edgy MD]

WEIRD-ass advertorial-type commercial happening here.

[Edgy MD]

And great, the winners are wearing Satanic pentangle tee-shirts.

[Guest d'Kong76]

May have to take it outside and listen to the radio team,
can't take this Citi-Mets-blow-job thing they're doin'....

[Edgy MD]

I just tuned in at the end of last inning. Does "limited commercial interruption" really mean "commercials disguised as content all night"?

[Frayed Knot]

Even our hits w/RiSP don't drive in runs.

Frayed Knot wrote: Didn't like IBB-ing Ross to get to the pitcher this early in the game

And now you DON'T have the pitcher leading off the inning ... and, surprise, the leadoff man gets on.

[Edgy MD]

How do you strike out Fowler on that? He must have been badly set up.

[Edgy MD]

Good job, Bartman.

Live with Terry Collins now.

[Edgy MD]

Beat that out, Rube.

[Edgy MD]

Ballz not dropping in.

I'm liking the contact, though, for a change.

[ashie62]

Gotta run Laggy

[Edgy MD]

Hard hit, no safety, no advance.

I got the shift blues.

[ashie62]

People pay to watch this?

[Frayed Knot]

These leadoff doubles continue to be rally killers.

[Edgy MD]

The new commissioner is going to lower the mound or harden the ball or legalize steroids or something if he's watching this series.

[Edgy MD]

A duzzin in a row for Bartolo.

[Edgy MD]

Fifteen straight scoreless innings: not the goal.

[Frayed Knot]

The last actual HIT that knocked in a run (not an FC, or an error, or a walk) that wasn't from either Granderson or Matz was last Thursday vs Milwaukee and that was the Duda infield hit that won the game.
Earlier in that same game there was a Flores double which was the last outfield hit that scored a run of the non-Grandy/Matz variety.

[Edgy MD]

I like putting pressure on with the steal, but the shift hurts us again.