Hoerner gets 3 hits as Cubs stop slide by topping Mets 3-2
CHICAGO - Nico Hoerner hit a tiebreaking RBI single with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs stopped a nine-game slide by topping the New York Mets 3-2 on Sunday.
Christopher Morel sparked Chicago’s winning rally with a leadoff infield single against Drew Smith (1-3). Morel advanced to third on Willson Contreras’ single and scored on Ian Happ’s tapper to the right of the mound.
After Seiya Suzuki popped out, Hoerner’s liner into center drove in Contreras from second for a 3-2 lead. Hoerner finished with three hits.
Rowan Wick (2-5) pitched a scoreless inning for the win, and David Robertson got three outs for his 13th save.
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New York (58-35) had won four in a row and five of six overall. Coming off a taxing doubleheader Saturday that included two extra-inning victories, it closed out a 5-2 trip and hit the All-Star break with a 2 1/2-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East.
The Mets had a chance to open a 3-1 lead in the eighth, but Cubs left fielder Nelson Velázquez threw out Francisco Lindor when he attempted to score from second on Eduardo Escobar’s single.
David Peterson struck out eight in five effective innings for New York, and Pete Alonso snapped a tie with a well-placed RBI single.
It was a sorely needed victory for Chicago (35-57), which had a rough series against New York right up until the very end. The Cubs scored four times and left 24 runners on base in the first three games of the four-game set.
Chicago nearly wasted a solid performance by Adrian Sampson, who was charged with two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He threw a career-high 112 pitches, 69 for strikes.
Sampson was hurt by a pair of shaky defensive plays.
With two out and runners on the corners in the first, Sampson picked off Lindor at first. But Lindor avoided shortstop Hoerner’s tag attempt with a dive to the ground, and Starling Marte scampered home on the back end of what was scored as a double steal.
Alonso’s fourth-inning popup landed just out of the reach of first baseman Frank Schwindel and in front of right fielder Suzuki, driving in Brandon Nimmo for a 2-1 lead.
MAKING MOVES
The Cubs brought up right-hander Erich Uelmen from Triple-A Iowa and designated left-hander Daniel Norris for assignment. The 26-year-old Uelmen, a fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft, is looking for his big league debut.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: 1B/OF Dominic Smith and C Tomás Nido each got the day off. Smith rolled his right ankle during Saturday’s doubleheader, and manager Buck Showalter said he was still getting tests done to determine the extent of the injury. Nido was getting an MRI exam on his left forearm.
Cubs: RHP Chris Martin hasn’t pitched in a game since Wednesday. The reliever is dealing with a tender shoulder.
UP NEXT
Mets: Begin a five-game homestand Friday night with the opener of a three-game series against San Diego. Showalter said he wasn’t ready to announce his rotation before the finale against Chicago.
Cubs: LHP Justin Steele (3-6, 4.15 ERA) starts Friday night at Philadelphia in the opener of a three-game series. Steele will be followed by RHP Marcus Stroman (2-5, 4.69 ERA) and LHP Drew Smyly (2-5, 4.22 ERA) in the set against the Phillies.