How Cubs got blasted by October chill for 3 innings in June

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NEW YORK — Jacob deGrom didn’t last long enough Wednesday to beat the Cubs.

But his three innings of dominance was like nothing the Cubs have seen from an opponent this season and offered a glimpse into what awaits in October if the Cubs can get there — and if deGrom is right about his self-diagnosis after shoulder soreness forced him out of the game.

“I’m pretty confident that this is nothing,” said the best pitcher on the planet right now — who also had similar sentiments for the forearm tendinitis that forced him out of a start five days earlier.

The Cubs trailed by three when deGrom left Wednesday night after striking out eight in the nine-up, nine-down start. The Mets are expected to have an update on the game’s top ace after further examination Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Cubs rallied late and came up short in a 6-3 loss — their third straight to the Mets to start this four-game series.

But it was that three-inning bolt of pitching that left the lasting impression on a Cubs team that missed deGrom in April during the Cubs’ three-game sweep of the Mets at Wrigley Field.

“What he’s doing is amazing,” said Anthony Rizzo, the only Cub who didn’t strike out against deGrom — instead driving a 100-mph pitch to the wall in right for the second out of the first inning.

“To be on the other side of it obviously is no fun, but you’ve got to appreciate what he’s doing as a competitor,” added Rizzo, who homered in the fourth off deGrom’s replacement, Sean Reid-Foley.

DeGrom, who already has two Cy Young Awards, has allowed just four runs in 11 starts this season and leads the majors in nearly every major pitching category (and most minor ones).

He already has 111 strikeouts in 67 innings to go with a 0.54 ERA — and even drove in the second run of the game with a sharp, two-out single to right in the second inning, his sixth RBI of the season.

“He just mowed us down. I know it was only three innings,” Rizzo said. “I hope he’s all right. Even his at-bat — that’s the craziest stat of all: six runs driven in and four given up.

“It’s just one of those things where he’s as good as it gets. And he really gave it to us.”

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