It all comes down to this, unless it doesn’t.
Tonight could be the end of the Chicago Cubs’ magical 2015 season, or it could be an opportunity to extend that magic for at least one more day.
I’ll be watching from center field, and I hope to see some of you out there, too. Those at the park: all we can do is remind Steven Matz of our presence, and of the eyes on him as he tries to nail things down for his team.
And, of course, remind the Cubs’ players that we’re still here.
Jason Hammel gets the ball for the Cubs, and he’ll try to do what Cubs’ pitchers (including himself) have had so much trouble with in this postseason: keep the other team off the board early. For the offense’s part, they’ll try to get a leadoff hit for the first time in the series. And then, you know, lots of additional hits.
The wind could be howling out again for this one, so the onus will be on Hammel to keep the ball down (when he’s on, he does), and on the bats to elevate Matz’s pitches (he’s not always a groundball guy, so there’s that).
Game Info
New York Mets v. Chicago Cubs (NYM leads 3-0), 7:00 CT on TBS.
Game Thread and Series Preview
Your game thread is down there in the comments, so have fun.
The Series Preview lives here.
Starting Pitchers
Steven Matz (2.27 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 3.56 xFIP; 3.40 K/BB)
versus
Jason Hammel (3.74 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 3.47 xFIP; 4.30 K/BB)
New York Mets Lineup
1. Curtis Granderson, RF
2. David Wright, 3B
3. Daniel Murphy, 2B
4. Yoenis Cespedes, CF
5. Lucas Duda, 1B
6. Travis d’Arnaud, C
7. Michael Conforto, LF
8. Wilmer Flores, SS
9. Steven Matz, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Jorge Soler, RF
3. Kris Bryant, 3B
4. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
5. Starlin Castro, 2B
6. Kyle Schwarber, LF
7. Javy Baez, SS
8. Jason Hammel, P
9. David Ross, C