Recap: NY Mets vs. Chicago Cubs
Sports Network | September 22, 2008
Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - Jason Marquis helped Chicago clinch the best record in the National League with a solid pitching effort and five RBI, including his first career grand slam, as the Cubs topped the wild card- leading New York Mets, 9-5 in the first of four games at Shea Stadium.
Marquis (11-9) added an RBI groundout to his unlikely grand slam, while allowing four runs on eight hits with four walks and four strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings on the mound.
Derrek Lee also homered for the Cubs (95-60), who wrapped up the NL Central over the weekend and now have home field advantage leading up to the World Series. Ryan Theriot was 3-for-3 with a pair of walks in the victory.
The Mets, meanwhile, trail the Phillies in the NL East by 2 1/2 games after Philadelphia topped Atlanta, 6-2, on Monday. New York still leads Milwaukee by a game in the wild card race with six games left to play for both clubs.
Jonathon Niese (1-1) had a forgettable third start to his career, getting torched for six runs on seven hits in three-plus innings of work for New York, which has dropped three straight after a three-game winning streak. David Wright clubbed a two-run homer for the Mets, who went just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, leaving 11 men on base.
The Cubs trailed by a run before batting around in their six-run fourth. With runners on the corners, Reed Johnson singled home his second run of the game, and Theriot followed with a base hit to load the bases.
The left-handed Niese then hung a curveball to his counterpart, and Marquis sent the mistake over the right field wall, ending the rookie's outing and giving the Cubs a 6-2 lead.
Nelson Figueroa came in to pitch and got two outs before Lee continued the onslaught with his 20th homer of the year later in the frame, and Marquis chipped in a run-scoring fielder's choice off Bobby Parnell an inning later.
New York put its first two hitters on base in the fourth and sixth innings but came away empty-handed.
Wright cut the deficit to 8-4 with a two-out, two-run homer that narrowly cleared the left field wall in the seventh, but Ryan Church later flew out with two runners on and two outs to end the comeback threat.
Felix Pie legged out a two-out infield single in the away ninth to knock in Aramis Ramirez for a commanding 9-4 Chicago lead.
Carlos Marmol allowed an RBI groundout from Carlos Beltran in bottom half to account for the Mets' final tally, and Kerry Wood was called in from the bullpen to record the final out with two runners on to record his 33rd save of the season.
Niese retired five straight hitters to begin the game, but a double by Mark DeRosa into the left-field gap followed by Johnson's single up the middle put New York in a 1-0 hole.
The Mets got the run back in the bottom half when Marquis uncorked a wild pitch with two outs and runners on the corners, scoring Carlos Delgado, and the home team took their first lead an inning later on back-to-back doubles by Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy.
Marquis has five career home runs and two this season. The right-hander also picked up his fourth straight road win...Chicago was an NL-best 55-26 at home this season...In an effort to give their starters enough rest before the postseason, the Cubs pushed Rich Harden's start back to Thursday, as Sean Marshall (3-4) will take to the mound Tuesday to face Mets ace Johan Santana (14-7)...New York's battered bullpen allowed just three runs on seven hits in six innings of work...Wright's homer was his 33rd of the season...Before the game, the Cubs claimed outfielder Brad Snyder off waivers from Cleveland and added him to the 40-man roster and designated pitcher Adam Harben for assignment.
