Cubs

Mets Beat Cubs 4-1, Take 2-0 NLCS Lead

The Chicago Cubs' bats were silenced for a second consecutive night on Sunday as they fell by a score of 4-1 to the New York Mets. 

The loss puts the Cubs in a two-games-to-none hole as the series shifts to Wrigley Field for Game 3 on Tuesday. 

The Cubs worked some serious counts against Noah Syndergaard in the first inning, forcing the hurler to throw 20 pitches, but they couldn't get on the board. Kris Bryant laced a single to left field, but he was stranded as Anthony Rizzo struck out to end the inning. 

In the bottom of the frame, the Mets didn't waste any time getting on the board. Curtis Granderson reached with a single, and he scored on an RBI double by David Wright. Daniel Murphy then stepped up to the plate and golfed a curve ball into the right field bleachers to give the Mets a 3-0 lead after just one inning of play. 

The Cubs nearly got a run back in the second inning, but Granderson had other plans. When Chris Coghlan launched a fly ball to right field, Granderson made a leaping catch at the wall to rob him and keep the Cubs without a run. 

Arrieta got through the second inning without incident, but he wasn't able to repeat the feat in the third inning. Granderson reached base on a walk, and he stole both second and third base. When Yoenis Cespedes hit a ground ball to shortstop, Granderson was able to score and the Mets seized a 4-0 lead. 

Both teams breezed through the fourth and fifth innings of the game, but the Cubs finally got on the board in the top of the sixth. Dexter Fowler singled to right field with one out, and he reached second on a wild pitch by Syndergaard. Kyle Schwarber struck out for the second out of the inning, but Bryant picked up his teammate as he smacked a double to left field to score Fowler and make it a 4-1 game. 

Neither team was able to do much in the seventh inning, and although the Cubs got a baserunner in the eighth, they came up empty again. Fowler coaxed a walk with two outs, but Schwarber flew out to Cespedes in left field to leave the Cubs three outs away from a 2-0 series deficit. 

The Cubs did manage to get a baserunner in the top of the ninth inning as Rizzo reached on an infield single, but that's all they could muster with Jeurys Familia on the hill, and they now find themselves in the unenviable position of being two wins away from elimination. 

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