Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo watches his three-run home run off New York Mets’ Steven Matz during the third inning of a baseball game Monday, July 18, 2016, in Chicago.
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The New York Mets take the field with the Chicago Cubs in Wednesday afternoon action.
It didn’t seem the Mets would have a chance to get Familia into the game. Jeurys Familia did his best Houdini impression and worked out of a bases loaded and nobody out jam in the ninth to save it for the Mets.
Familia walked Addison Russell and Miguel Montero to start the ninth, then Javier Baez reached on a bunt single when third baseman Jose Reyes threw wide to first.
With the bases load and no outs, Familia forced a ground ball to first baseman James Loney who went home for the force out. Molitor helped the Twins become one of the surprise teams of previous year, having them in the playoff hunt into the final week of the season.
“I always try to calm down when I have a situation like that”, Familia said. “I just try to believe and think I can do it”. “I know he has been there before”. “I’ve talked about it from the beginning of the season, giving him appropriate time off when it’s necessary”.
Jake Arrieta scattered five hits while needing only 85 pitches through seven innings Tuesday night in his first start since July 8, but catcher Rene Rivera hit a soft single down the right field line to score the go-ahead run in the ninth off Hector Rondon as the Mets pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
J.C. Ramirez (2-3) pitched 1 2-3 innings for the win, and Cam Bedrosian got the last three outs.
Arrieta needed only 27 pitches through the first three innings, throwing 25 for strikes. He allowed one run and struck out eight in seven innings. Last year’s NL Cy Young Award victor got back on track after allowing four or more earned runs in three consecutive starts for the first time since 2012.
“That was a little more like it”, Arrieta said. “It’s definitely nice to come out and keep the team in the game, especially when the guy on the other side is doing the same thing”.
ROYALS 7, INDIANS 3: Jarrod Dyson hit a grand slam that capped a seven-run rally in the eighth inning and the Royals broke loose after Corey Kluber cramped up, beating Cleveland at Kansas City, Mo. That unearned run was all Syndergaard would allow in 5.2 innings.
RHP Noah Syndergaard (9-4, 2.56 ERA) apparently feels fine for Tuesday after leaving in the fifth inning of his last start with arm fatigue. He had pinch-hit on Monday and singled. Arrieta’s baserunning would play a role when he would get thrown out at the plate in the fourth to keep it a one run game. His fastball was clocked consistency in the 94-95 miles per hour range, and he retired 12 consecutive batters after Yoenis Cespedes singled with two out in the first. Conforto may see time in center in the future, though. “So we’re going to ease him into it”. “There’s no question about it”, Chicago manager Joe Maddon said.
Maddon called out the split against Syndergaard as “enormously different”.
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RHP Matt Harvey (thoracic outlet syndrome) underwent successful season-ending surgery Monday in St. Louis.
