http://gty.im/493148258
The Dark Knight Rises
They call him ‘the Dark Knight’, and on this night Matt Harvey was ready to answer the call, allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 home run, and striking out 9 batters. Harvey took control of this game early, and never really relented as he went 7.2 innings. Much farther than most anticipated, just a year off of Tommy Johns surgery.
It was a cold night, registering around 48 degrees when the first pitch went out, with the wind was gusting out to right. It would have seemed like prime conditions for a lot of long blasts, but that was not to be the case. When the ball got up in the air it seemed to stay there a while, but more often that not, it came down somewhere inside the park. However, each team did manage a blast, or two in the case of the Mets.
The chill in the air did not seem to bother the players too much, but for the Cubs fans in attendance, it might have seemed even colder than it was. Fortunately for the Mets fans, it feels a whole lot warmer when the score is working in your favor, and for most of the night, it was.
The story for the Cubs coming into this series has easily been their young hitters, and a couple of them broke through tonight. However, the Mets were in combat mode, and Matt Harvey was in command of nearly every pitch he threw. Harvey, gave the Mets and their fans exactly what they were looking for in game 1 of the NLCS, the first win in the best of seven series. He gave their middle relievers the night off, which was something that the Cubs had been hoping to exploit. Matt Harvey had other plans.
Coming into the game, both teams are pushing to erase long droughts. For the Mets it has been fifteen years since they made an appearance in the World Series (A club record). For the Cubs, that drought is just a bit longer. The last time they appeared, they won, but that was 107 years ago.
The Cubs’ Jon Lester was okay, but okay does not win playoff games very often. With his outstanding playoff pedigree, it was a disappointing effort for the Cubs, and their fans. And on this night, the box score will tell a story that Lester might just assume forget. He allowed 8 hits, gave up a walk, and earned 4 runs in his 6.2 innings of work. His night was not terrible, but he was out pitched, and the Cubs bats were not able to carry him through this time.
Everybody Needs A Hero
The Mets NLDS game 5 hero was at it again tonight. Daniel Murphy took a jog around the bases, after he blasted a home run off Jon Lester in the first. His third of this post season, tying a Mets record. To say he is on a hot streak would be an understatement. In the second, the Mets threatened to add more, but the score remained 1-0, thanks to a double play executed by Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo.
Harvey pitched four perfect innings before he drilled Anthony Rizzo with a pitch, putting him on base with Starlin Castro coming up to bat. And Castro delivered, giving Mets fans a scare. He hit a double to center allowing Rizzo to score, tying the game at one a piece. Next up, Javy Baez swung at a pitch that went well out into left center field for a base hit. With David Ross and Lester coming up in the order, the Cubs felt they had to go for the scoring opportunity. Castro was given the ill advised nod to run home, but Yoenis Cespedes blasted a throw to the plate, ending the Cubs chances for the go ahead run.
In the bottom of the fifth, Curtis Granderson singled with two runners scoring giving them a little breathing room with a 3-1 score. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud added an insurance run off of Lester in the 6th, putting the pressure squarely on the Cubs.
Harvey, for his part, remained stingy, with good command throughout the game only allowing one more run. A long distance blast from Kyle Schwarber, who has been on fire in the post season. It was a ray of hope for the young Cubs, but unfortunately it was the last real opportunity they would get, as the early hero Daniel Murphy ended the game with a diving catch.
From the Dark Knight to Thor
Game 2, is set for 7:07pm CST in the Bronx, and it is expected to be a battle. Jake Arrieta is set to start for the Cubs, and in spite of a little stumble in the NLDS, he has been absolutely dominant. For the Mets, it will be Noah Syndergaard. However, the real duel should be between Arrieta, and the Mets batters. They will need to get to him early, because his confidence tends to build the farther he goes. After his last outing, betting odds would probably be in favor of Arrieta having a good night, given his track record.
However, Noah Syndergaard is capable of pitching the lights out, and tomorrow night that is what he must do. This game will likely set the tone for the rest of the series, and neither team is going to go softly into the night.
It is hard to call this game a must win in a best of seven series, but for the Mets and the Cubs, it is a must win.
The Mets will be out to prove to themselves that they can get through the Cubs nearly un-hittable machine in Arrieta, who they will likely face again in this series. Undoubtedly, the Mets would also love to carry the momentum of a win into Wrigley Field.
The Cubs will be out to steal a win and hopefully use their Ace to their advantage knowing that their bats seem to without fail, light up on their home turf. In order for them to Win, Arrieta will have to be the force he is expected to be, and the young hitters are going to have to find a way to put the ball out of reach, as early and as often as possible.
Whatever happens, the game should offer the best of what we have come to expect with October baseball. Two heavyweights on the mound, two teams with a couple of very hot hitters, and for the winner momentum that could likely define the rest of the series.