The Jays and Royals are traveling today. Well, they actually probably traveled yesterday, but we call this the travel day, so let’s just go with that. Tonight we get Game 2 from the senior circuit. Which, I suppose, we’re still calling that despite the fact that younger players are far more important to the NL teams than the AL teams.
What I’m saying is that words don’t matter all that much when it comes to describing all of this. Just watch, man. These games are pretty entertaining.
The Game: Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets
The Time: 8:07 p.m. ET
The Place: Citi Field
The Channel: TBS
The Starters: Jake Arrieta vs. Noah Syndergaard
The Upshot: Arrieta finally looked somewhat mortal in his last start against the Cardinals, giving up four runs in five and two-thirds innings. His boys still got an 8-6 victory, but it was established that, yes, it is possible to score off of him. The Mets don’t have any first-hand information to that effect, however, as he allowed just one run and struck out seven in eight innings in a 6-1 win over them back in July.
Of course this was the Mets’ lineup on that July afternoon:
Curtis Granderson RF
Darrell Ceciliani CF
Daniel Murphy 3B
Lucas Duda 1B
Wilmer Flores 2B
Eric Campbell LF
Johnny Monell C
Jacob deGrom P
Ruben Tejada SS
Things are much different with the Mets these days. David Wright, Yoenis Cespedes and Travis d’Arnaud make things a bit tougher. The Cubs saw that with d’Arnaud just last night, in fact.
The Cubs will also have to contend with Noah Syndergaard this evening. They’ve seen him before. Indeed, they saw him in his major league debut last May when he gave up three runs in five an a third in a 6-1 loss. Things will be easier for him now in that he knows what the heck he’s doing. They will be harder for him in that this Cubs now, unlike back in May, have Kyle Schwarber, who has homered in three straight playoff games.
The season is long and teams evolve as it goes on. Both of these teams have evolved into ones with tough outs up and down the lineup and aces with ungodly stuff making it tough for those tough outs. And if the Cubs don’t want to have a rough flight back to Chicago tonight, they had best make things tough on the Mets this evening and even the series up.
