CHICAGO — With one blow on a perfect early autumn night, a Francisco Lindor blast made all kinds of history. For the mets though, there remains only one kind of history to make — the one that lands them in the postseason.
The Mets helped themselves in that regard in knocking off the Cubs 8-5 on Thursday behind another veteranlike outing from dynamic rookie righty Nolan McLean, who struck out a career-high 11 batters and scattered five Chicago runs while pitching with a sizable led. New York escaped the key series at Wrigley Field with a big series win.
Still, with three games to go, the Mets haven’t locked down anything.
“We’ve got to go out there and take care of business,” Lindor said. “The teams that are out there fighting for the playoffs are really good teams, so we have to go out there and get it done.”
McLean got plenty of help in a drama-free win at a time when nothing has been easy for the Mets. Lindor’s 30th homer in the third pushed New York’s early advantage to 3-0, and Brett Baty’s three-run shot in the fourth broke the game open.
Next up is Miami and the Mets will fly to Florida still in control of their own fate in the race for the National League’s last wild-card spot. New york leads Cincinnati by one game and Arizona by two, but the Mets would lose a tiebreaker against either club should they finish with identical regular-season records.
“You want to stay alive,” Lindor said. “We’re in a position right now where we control our own destiny. But we’ve got to go take care of
Mets Secure win over Cubs, Eyeing Wild Card Spot
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The New York mets defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-5 on Thursday, fueled by strong performances from shortstop Francisco Lindor and rookie pitcher Drew McLean. This victory keeps the Mets firmly in the hunt for a National League Wild Card berth as the regular season nears its end.
Lindor Achieves 30-30 Season
Francisco Lindor marked a meaningful milestone in Thursday’s game, hitting his 30th home run of the season.This accomplishment secured his second career “30-30” season – achieving at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season. McLean Continues Impressive Rookie Campaign
Rookie pitcher Drew McLean continues to be a bright spot for the Mets. He is now 5-1 with a remarkable 2.06 ERA over his eight starts sence being promoted to the major league roster. The Mets have won six of his eight starts. In contrast, the other Mets starters have struggled, posting a combined 6-12 record as McLean’s debut on August 16th.Playoff Outlook
The Mets will conclude the regular season with a series against the Miami Marlins, while other contenders, the milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks, face the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres respectively. https://www.espn.com/mlb/standings
New York is hoping to secure a wild Card spot and potentially face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series. However, manager Mendoza emphasizes the importance of focusing on the immediate task. “You walk away from this series feeling good obviously, but you still got to go out there and take care of business in Miami,” he said. “We’re in this position,but we’re still in control.”