Cubs Defeat Mets to Keep Hold on First Place

Two teams headed in very different directions battled each other at Wrigley Field on Monday night. The Chicago Cubs have had a very good season. They are currently residing in first place of the National League Central division. On the other hand, the New York Mets have been dreadful. The only bright spot of their season came when they got off to a 11-1 start. The wheels fell off after that. They are now 15 games under .500 and in fourth place. The lowly Miami Marlins are the only team beneath the Mets in their division.

The Mets were looking to play spoiler and ruin the Cubs chances of making the playoffs once again. However, that would not happen on this night. Noah Syndergaard did not have his best stuff. He surrendered four earned runs in six innings. It was not a horrible start. However, the Mets do not score a lot of runs. They usually lose when their starters give up at least four runs. Jon Lester had a slightly better start for the Cubs. He allowed three earned runs in six innings. Neither pitcher would get a decision in this game. It would be decided by the bullpens. Lester did have a hit to drive in a pair of runs. This is noteworthy because he has never been much of a hitter.

The Cubs have added a few players to help improve their team in preparation for making the playoffs. According to sportsnet.ca, they recently completed a trade with the Washington Nationals for Daniel Murphy. They also picked up starting pitcher Cole Hamels from the Texas Rangers. He has been outstanding since he arrived in the Windy City. The team is loaded right now. The one bit of bad news for the Cubs is that Yu Darvish will need to have surgery and he will not pitch again this year. This is a big blow to the team because they signed him to a $126 million contract before the start of the season.

The Mets have not had a lot for Mets fans to cheer about in 2018. One of the very few bright spots has been the brilliant season turned in by Jacob Degrom. He has been leading the National League in earned run average for most of the season. He has a chance to win the Cy Young Award. However, his lack of wins could prevent people from voting for him.