It’s tale of two National League teams when the Chicago Cubs (39-35) fly east to meet the New York Mets (39-37) at Citi Field. The Cubs, who are coming off a 4-1 loss at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals, are eyeing to snap a four-game slide. The Mets, meanwhile, plan to prolong their four-game win streak after defeating the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, 7-2. Read on for more on this series opener.
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[sc:MLB240banner ]The struggling Cubs are still not out of the tunnel. Hopefully for them, a trip to New York is all they need to end a tormenting five-game losing streak. But more than a change of location, it’s their offense that will have to bust out of a funk to get a refreshing victory.
The Cubs, who are 2-0 in their last two games at Citi Field, have scored just six runs over their last five games. They managed to put up just four runs in the three-game set against St. Louis, wherein they also went an awful 2-for-27 when there are men in scoring position.
Kris Bryant is just 3-for-15 (.200) with only one RBI over the last five Cubs’ games, while Miguel Montero is 3-for-17 (.176) with no RBIs during the same stretch. Bryant and Montero must be able to find a way to make contact and drive in runs for the Cubs moving forward.
That will have to be the case for Chicago in order to beat the Mets this coming Tuesday, especially considering how lousy Kyle Hendricks (2-4, 4.46 ERA) has been this month. Hendricks is coming off an underwhelming performance in which he allowed four runs on four hits in just five innings of action in Chicago’s 5-2 loss to the Dodgers on June 26. That sums up Hendricks’ past few outings, as he has a 1-3 record with a 5.88 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in five starts thus far this June.
Unlike Chicago, the Mets have turned things around after suffering seven-game losing skid. Now in the midst of a four-game unbeaten run, the Mets will give the ball to Jonathon Niese, as they look to extend that streak in the series opener at home against Chicago. The Mets are 6-0 in their last six games at Citi Field.
Niese, who is rumored to be a target of the Dodgers in a brewing trade, is coming off a disappointing performance. The lefty yielded just two runs but gave up eight hits in just six innings of work in the Mets’ 3-2 loss to Milwaukee on June 23. He’s been somewhat decent this month, posting a 3.46 ERA in four starts, but he remains a very inconsistent pitcher. In fact, Niese owns team-worst numbers in HR/FB% (16.4 %), FIP (4.39).
Even though he’s up against a seemingly dry Cubs’ offense, Niese will have to bring his A-game this coming Tuesday. Niese has a .252 opponent’s batting average against the current Cubs’ hitters.
Speaking of offense, Curtis Granderson has been the lone bright spot in the Mets’ lineup. Granderson is batting .458 (11-for-24) with four home runs over his last six games. It’s also a bit surprising to see Granderson, a leadoff hitter, lead the team in RBIs (six) over that stretch. Other Mets batters like Lucas Duda and Michael Cuddyer must lend Granderson some help. Duda is hitting .167 (4-for-24) over the Mets’ last six games, while Cuddyer is only .105 (2-for-19).
