Chicago Cubs @ New York Mets – Series Preview (September 12-14): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (58-82) dropped their fifth consecutive series with a Sunday loss to the Giants and now make a quick trip to New York to face the first-place Mets. Not exactly a recipe for better results, especially with the Mets apparently forgetting they’re supposed to have fallen on their faces by now.
The Mets (89-52) once had a big lead in the division but the Braves suddenly caught fire and briefly jumped ahead before New York went back up 1.5 games. It’s been a very good year in Queens, where they are about to earn win number 90 of the season.
Pete Alonso is having a big season, hitting 33 home runs with 109 runs batted in and an .846 OPS. Jeff McNeil is one the best hitters in the league with a .322 batting average, and Francisco Lindor is having a huge second half after a slow start.
Chris Bassitt and Carlos Carrasco are having very good seasons in the rotation so far and some guy named Jacob deGrom has recently returned from injury. Edwin Diaz has become a phenomenon in the closer’s role, posting a 1.50 ERA with a little help from Timmy Trumpet.
With the Cubs’ upcoming schedule featuring few winning teams, this is probably the last chance for them to play spoiler in the playoff race. Maybe they can surprise everyone and win the series, but I won’t be holding my breath.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, September 12 at 6:10pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
- Tuesday, September 13 at 6:10pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
- Wednesday, September 14 at 6:10pm on Marquee Sports Network.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 9/11 | Javier Assad | 25 | R | 2.93 | 0-1 | 4.62 | 1.71 |
| Chris Bassitt | 33 | R | 3.24 | 13-7 | 3.40 | 3.73 | |
| 9/12 | Adrian Sampson | 30 | R | 3.76 | 1-5 | 3.82 | 2.89 |
| Jacob deGrom | 34 | R | 1.66 | 5-1 | 1.39 | 15.75 | |
| 9/14 | Drew Smyly | 33 | R | 3.57 | 5-8 | 4.31 | 3.36 |
| TBA |
What to Watch For
- Nico Hoerner left Sunday’s game with triceps soreness so not sure if he will play this series.
- Smyly had another quality start in his last outing as he continues his strong second half.
- Zach McKinstry had four hits Sunday and is starting to look better at the plate.