After taking two out of three games from the Texas Rangers, the New York Mets road trip continued as they headed to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Cubs in a three-game set.
The Mets win the series against the Chicago Cubs
The Mets bats were on fire in game one as they combined to put up 11 hits and 10 runs in three innings on Cy Young award contender Shota Imanaga as the blue and orange won 11-1.
Jameson Taillon would cool the Mets’ bats off in game two with seven strong innings, and the Cubs ambushed Tylor Megill, scoring six in the first three innings as they went on to win 8-1.
Back-to-back home runs from Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo would be enough for the blue and orange in game three as they went on to win 5-2 and claim the series.
Luis Severino bounces back
After not looking quite right in his previous two starts, which included giving up six runs in his last outing, Luis Severino looked like the pitcher the Flushing Faithful had fallen in love with over the first half of the season.
Severino went six innings, allowing just three hits and striking out 10 batters ( which was three more batters than his last three outings combined. The 30-year-old has been the Mets’ ace in the first half, and if he keeps performing like this, the blue and orange will be sitting pretty at the trade deadline regardless of their record.
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Francisco Álvarez continues to stay hot
After a strong series in Texas, Francisco Álvarez brought his scorching bat with him to Chicago. Álvarez appeared twice in the series, going 3-for-6 with two doubles, a home run, an RBI, and two walks. If the Venezuelan native can stay hot, the blue and orange lineup becomes even more difficult to pitch against.
Tylor Megill struggles again
During the Mets’ recent run of success, one of the squad’s biggest strengths has been their starting pitching, excluding Megill. The 28-year-old went just three innings against the Cubs, allowing six runs, five hits, and three walks, although the California native did strike out six batters.
With Christian Scott and José Buttó waiting in Triple-A, perhaps the time is now to demote Megill from the rotation.