It is officially crisis time for the New York Mets (67-65). After climbing to a season-high seven games above .500 with a sweep of the Cleveland Indians, the Mets haven’t won since, dropping five games in a row. Last night’s loss to the Chicago Cubs (71-61) was especially disappointing, with Noah Syndergaard’s awful performance giving the team no chance despite a furious rally in the middle innings. The Mets will look to avoid the sweep and end their homestand on a good note when they wrap up their series with the Cubs tonight. First pitch for the contest is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field.
The Mets will send their ace, right hander Jacob deGrom (8-7, 2.56 ERA), to the mound tonight. deGrom was brilliant in his last start, giving up only a run in seven innings while striking out 13 against the Atlanta Braves last Friday, but was left with a no-decision when his teammates gave him no run support. The Mets ended up losing in 14 innings, and that game was the beginning of the team’s current losing streak. The Cubs will counter with veteran lefty Jon Lester (10-9, 4.49 ERA). Lester was hammered in his last start, giving up six runs in 4.1 innings to lose to the Washington Nationals last Friday.
Local Coverage:
Television: SNY
Radio: WCBS
New York Mets Lineup:
We close out the homestand with de🐐 on the bump tonight. #LGM
⌚️ 👉 7:10 p.m.
🏟️ 👉 https://t.co/J2Zj1MyzkP
💪 👉 @JdeGrom19
👀 👉 @SNYtv, @MLBNetwork (out-of-market only)
👂 👉 @wcbs880, @ESPNDep1050AM
💻 👉 https://t.co/LVQQS6n3kp pic.twitter.com/V8erQbRAlE— New York Mets (@Mets) August 29, 2019
Pre-Game Notes:
- deGrom faced the Cubs at Wrigley Field back on June 23, giving up two runs in six innings, but was stuck with a no decision in a game the Mets lost 5-3.
- Lester is 6-1 with a 3.40 ERA in nine career starts against the Mets.
- With the lefty on the mound, Joe Panik will get the night off. Jeff McNeil will slide over to second base and bat second.
- Kris Bryant (5 for 14, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI), Jason Heyward (9 for 24, 2B) and Anthony Rizzo (10 for 23, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) have done well against deGrom in the past.
- Rajai Davis (16 for 52, 3 2B, 3 3B, HR, 6 RBI) and Amed Rosario (5 for 9, RBI) have solid numbers against Lester.
- This is the final game of the season series between the Mets and Cubs. The Cubs have won four of the first six meetings between the teams.
- This is the final game of the Mets’ nine-game homestand. The Mets are 3-5 on the homestand over the first eight games.
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