WRIGLEY FIELD- Pedro Strop said after Javier Baez' second strikeout against Mets starting pitcher Jacob DeGrom, Baez came back to the dugout upset saying he threw him all sliders. "I told him that's good that you know that now make the adjustment," said Strop.
"After my first 2 ab's I was really mad about the plan that I had. Both teams got two different plans and only one's gonna work. With DeGrom throwing that hard we're obviously looking fastball and he kinda went away from it. He was getting us out so we had to make the adjustment," Baez said.
#ELMago made a huge adjustment in his next 2 at bats with a single off of DeGrom to lead off the bottom of 6 & the go ahead 3 run HR (the 100th of his career) on an 0-2 count in the bottom of 8 off of reliever Seth Lugo to give the Cubs a 5-3 edge and leading them to a victory.
Manager Joe Maddon knows when Javy falls off his square it's only a matter of time before he comes back full circle. "He goes a little sideways but you know he's gonna get back. In a tight moment he knows what to do. He smiles, plays his defense and pops his sunflower seeds. He doesn't carry things with him. He plays the same game all the time."
The Cubs amassed 12 hits and Albert Almora Jr. was the only starter who went 0 for. The offensive attack was led by Baez who was 2-4 with 3 RBI. Jason Heyward was 3-4 with a run scored & Victor Caratini also had 2 hits. They also led off every inning but the first with a K or a single.
Cole Hamels got a no decision going 7 innings giving up 3 runs while striking out 5 on 84 pitches. He helped himself early with an RBI single in the top of 2 to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. "He did a wonderful job once again and limited the damage. He's just a joy to be around," said Maddon.
Mets rookie Pete Alonso broke Darryl Strawberry's rookie record for HR's in a season with his 27th in the bottom of 4 to tie the game at 1. A pretty amazing feat with 2 weeks left before the All-Star break.
The Cubs are 3-3 on the 10 game home stand as they welcome the Atlanta Braves in town for a 4 game set starting Monday.
FINAL- Cubs 5 Mets 3
Summary- The Cubs jumped on the board first in the bottom of 2 as Cole Hamels RBI single scored Jason Heyward. The Mets tied the game at 1 in the top of 4 on a Pete Alonso HR. NY took the lead in the top of 5 on a Tomas Nido solo HR & a DeGrom rbi single to make it 3-1. The Cubs got 1 back in the bottom of 5 on a Rizzo RBI single that scored Kris Bryant. They opened it up in the bottom of 8 on Baez 3 run HR to give them a 5-3 lead and that was all she wrote.
Player(s) of the game- Javier Baez
Play of the game- Baez' 3 run bomb in the bottom of 8 to give the Cubs a 5-3 lead
Quote of the game- "When I get 2 strikes I try to see the ball better and try to cut down my swing but it's tough because I like to swing hard." - Javy
Next game- vs Atlanta Braves 6/24
Lester (6-5 4.13 ERA) v Teheran (5-5 3.40 ERA)
#TheNatural Kris Bryant extended his hit streak to 10 games with a double in the top of 5