Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (4/22/21): Cubs 4, Mets 3 (F/10) – Cubs Walk Off in Extras to Complete Sweep

The Cubs went for the sweep as Trevor Williams (2-1, 5.02 ERA) took the mound against Joey Lucchesi (0-1, 5.40 ERA) looking for his second strong outing in a row. Jacob deGrom (1-1, 0.45 ERA) was originally scheduled to pitch for New York but requested an extra day of rest. Not having to face the two-time Cy Young winner was a big break for the Cubs as they went for their third straight victory.

Williams breezed through the first three innings, holding the Mets scoreless and allowing two hits with no walks and three strikeouts on only 39 pitches. He ran into trouble in the 4th when Pete Alonso hit a two-run bomb for the second straight game, but escaped with the lead intact. The former Pirate ended the night after five innings, having allowed two earned runs on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

The Cubs offense broke through in the 3rd inning for three runs thanks to an RBI infield single from Willson Contreras and a two-run double off the wall in left-center by Kris Bryant. Their bats went ice cold from that point forth as they failed to add any insurance, opening the door for the Mets to mount a comeback later in the game.

In the 7th inning, the combination of Jason Adam and Ryan Tepera allowed New York to tie the game. Adam hit Jonathan Villar to start the frame, which proved damaging when the runner came around to score on a pinch-hit double off the bat of J.D. Davis. Andrew Chafin threw a spotless 8th and was followed by Craig Kimbrel, who did the same in the 9th.

The game went to extras and the home team was able to push across the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th on an RBI single from Jason Heyward to make it 4-3. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Won

The Cubs won because of an overall solid pitching performance and a walk-off single in the 10th inning.

Key Moment(s)

In the bottom of the 3rd, Jake Marisnick produced an outstanding at-bat, fouling off four straight pitches with a full count and ultimately drawing a walk on the 10th offering. That set the tone for the Cubs to put three runs on the board, which would later prove to be crucial in a tight contest.

In the top of 10th inning with Kevin Pillar starting on second base, reliever Dan Winkler threw a wild pitch that allowed the runner to advance to third with nobody out. After fanning Jeff McNeil, Winkler walked the next two batters to load the bases with one out. He managed to escape, setting up the walk-off heroics.

Stats That Matter

• Williams lowered his ERA from 6.21 to 5.94 in 11 career games at Wrigley
• The Cubs bullpen has a walk rate of 15.1%, last in the majors
• Bryant went 2-for 4 with 2 RBI, raising his average to .283 with an OPS of .997

Bottom Line

A sweep is good no matter the opponent and this gives the Cubs some much-needed momentum heading into the weekend against the first-place Brewers. The win also got the Cubs back to .500 and into a second-place tie with the Reds.

On Deck

Kyle Hendricks (0-2, 6.92 ERA) squares off against lefty Brett Anderson (2-1, 2.65 ERA) on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:20pm CT on Marquee, MLB Network, 670 The Score, and WRTO for Spanish speakers.