Francisco Lindor led off the eighth inning with a tie-breaking home run to spark a four-run outburst and give the New York Mets a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the deciding game of a three-game series between National League division leaders.
Mark Vientos added an RBI single and Brandon Nimmo had a two-run home run in the eighth to provide insurance for the Mets, who have won three of four.
Luis Torrens had a run-scoring triple in the second inning as New York improved to 8-4-1 in series play this season.
Pete Crow-Armstrong homered in the sixth and Nico Hoerner had an RBI single in the seventh for the Cubs, who have dropped four of five.
Hoerner’s RBI hit off Reed Garrett cost Mets starter Griffin Canning a chance at the win and Brad Keller threw a scoreless seventh for the Cubs before the Mets rallied against Porter Hodge (2-1).
Lindor homered on a 3-1 pitch and Pete Alonso doubled two batters later before scoring on Vientos’ single. Nimmo greeted Gavin Hollowell with a home run to right.
Ryne Stanek (1-3) struck out two in a perfect eighth before Edwin Diaz tossed a 1-2-3 ninth in a non-save situation.
Canning had his five-start winning streak snapped despite allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out five over six innings.
Vientos homered in the sixth. Lindor, Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez also had two hits apiece. Lindor has multiple hits in three of his last four games.
Alvarez singled in both at-bats after replacing Torrens, who was hit by a foul ball while catching in the sixth.
The triple by Torrens was the fourth of his career and his first since the 2021 season.
Cubs starter Matthew Boyd gave up two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out eight over six innings.
Dansby Swanson had the Cubs’ first hit, an infield single that was deflected by Canning in the second.
–Field Level Media
