Baseball Daily Dose: Dose: Murphy Mashes, Mets Win
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Daniel Murphy stayed hot, belting yet another homer to help the Mets beat the Cubs 4-1 on Sunday night in Game 2 of the NLCS. The Mets now have a 2-0 series lead.
Cubs starter Jake Arrieta served up three runs in the bottom of the first inning before recording an out. Curtis Granderson led off with a line drive single to right field and was brought home on David Wright’s double to deep right-center. Murphy followed up with a home run down the right field line, just inside the foul pole.
The home run is Murphy’s fifth of this post-season, setting a Mets playoff record. He has homered in four consecutive playoff games, one shy of tying Carlos Beltran’s record of five set in 2004 as a member of the Astros.
Granderson robbed Cubs outfielder Chris Coghlan of a home run in the second inning, leaping at the fence in right-center to bring the ball back. In the third, Granderson walked, stole second and then third base, and came in to score on a Yoenis Cespedes infield single to shortstop, boosting the Mets’ lead to 4-0. Arrieta went five innings, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.
Syndergaard was superb until the sixth inning, when Dexter Fowler singled and advanced to second base on a wild pitch with one out. Kris Bryant drilled a double off the wall in left field to plate Fowler for the Cubs’ first and only run. Jon Niese came in and struck out Anthony Rizzo for the final out of the sixth. Syndergaard, in 5 2/3 innings, allowed one run on three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts.
The Mets’ bullpen held the fort the rest of the way. Addison Reed worked a perfect seventh inning, Tyler Clippard put up a zero in the eighth, and closer Jeurys Familia finalized the 4-1 win with a scoreless ninth. He allowed a one-out infield single to Anthony Rizzo, but got Starlin Castro and Coghlan to ground out.
The Mets and Cubs will have Monday off as the series heads to Wrigley Field in Chicago for games three and four, and five if necessary. The Mets will start Jacob deGrom against Kyle Hendricks in Game 3 and Steven Matz will likely face Jason Hammel in Game 4.
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ALCS Game 3: KC @ TOR
The ALCS continues on Monday at 8:00 PM EDT at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Johnny Cueto will start for the Royals against Marcus Stroman of the Blue Jays. The Royals have a comfortable two-game lead in the best-of-seven series.
Cueto got off the schneid with a stellar outing in Game 5 of the ALDS, helping the Royals advance over the Astros. He went eight innings, allowing two runs on two hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. The right-hander had struggled in his first post-season start, in Game 2 of the ALDS, and posted an unbecoming 4.76 ERA in 13 starts after the Royals acquired him in a trade with the Reds.
Stroman has pitched well in both post-season starts for the Jays. He yielded three earned runs over seven innings in a loss to the Rangers in Game 2 of the ALDS, then bounced back with six innings of two-run ball as the Jays clinched the series in Game 5.
The Royals have tabbed Chris Young to start Game 4 of the ALCS against Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
Harvey Dented
Mets starter Matt Harvey was superb in his NLCS Game 1 start, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with nine strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings. The Mets were able to beat the Cubs 4-2.
In the sixth inning, Harvey was drilled in the triceps by a Dexter Fowler line drive. He was alertly able to find the ball and throw out Fowler and he obviously remained in the game. On Sunday, Harvey said that his triceps was “dented” and a little swollen, but he expects to be ready to make his start in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Cubs (if necessary).
Quick Hits: Chase Utley’s appeal hearing over his two-game suspension has been delayed to later this year or possibly the spring … The Nationals dismissed their entire training staff … Mets infielder Juan Uribe (chest) hit in the batting cage and played catch on Sunday … Cubs manager Joe Maddon will start Kyle Hendricks in Game 3 of the NLCS and will likely go to Jason Hammel in Game 4 … Dusty Baker called the Padres about their managerial opening but the team was not interested. … The Yankees fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland and bullpen coach/catching instructor Gary Tuck.
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