Game Recap: Cubs 9 -- Mets 5

The Mets are teases.

Pitching Performance

Jon Niese turned in three decent innings, and one terrible one. He surrendered seven hits and six runs, five of which came in the fourth inning. The opposing pitcher, Jason Marquis, hit a grand slam over the right field wall.

First three were nice, the fourth inning was a disaster. Maybe instead of starting pitching, we just patch together a bunch of players who can throw a few innings at a time. Throw bullpen by committee out the window, how about entire game pitching by committee?

Nelson Figueroa allowed a solo home run to finish off the big inning for the Cubs. Robert Parnell allowed his first hit and first run in the his major league career, in two innings of work.

Bound to happen sometime.

Duaner Sanchez and Aaron Heilman each turned in scoreless performances, an inning of baseball each.

Shocked.

Luis Ayala allowed a run on a butcher boy hit to second, scoring a man from third. Ricardo Rincon came on and got a pop-up to end the ninth inning threat.

Offensive Output

...if you can call it that.

The Mets were held scoreless in the first inning, but were able to scratch one out in the second. Carlos Delgado was able to score on a wild pitch from Marquis. In the third, Daniel Murphy doubled into the left field corner, scoring Jose Reyes.

Looked like a good night for the bats, but they then killed three rallies, with two double plays and leaving nine on base. Awful.

David Wright drove in a pair with a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, just tipping off the glove of Alfonso Soriano's glove over the AIG sign.

That puts him at the 120 RBI plateau, with 33 home runs. Pretty good season, if you ask me.

The Mets threatened in the ninth inning, scoring one run in the ninth, but were unable to push any more across to close the gap.

The Rest of the Story

Phillies win, Brewers had off. Mets are 2.5 back in the East, and one up in the Wild Card.

Carlos Beltran had to leave the game in the seventh after crashing into the wall in the sixth inning after making a running catch at the warning track.

Game Ball: David Wright. (2-4, BB, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI)