CHICAGO — Tuesday night time at Wrigley Subject, the Mets confirmed they aren’t prepared to go down and not using a combat.
There have been three lead modifications and two ties earlier than Francisco Alvarez hit a go-ahead, two-run homer within the high of the eighth. A 9-7 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Subject retains the Mets playoff hopes alive for at the least one other night time.
“The guys battled back,” mentioned supervisor Carlos Mendoza. “Two big swings right there, one from [Brandon] Nimmo and one from Alvy. We needed that.”
With out it, the Mets would have squandered a possibility to leap again into the NL Wild Card standings. The Cincinnati Reds (80-77) gifted the Mets (81-76) a spot within the standings with a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and are actually 1.0 sport behind the Amazins’.
“Amazing team win,” mentioned left-hander David Peterson. “Can’t say enough about the bullpen, they stepped up big and I don’t have enough words to show my appreciation for what they did. They picked me up big time. The offense picked it up and kept us in the game.”
The bullpen was almost emptied within the first sport of a six-game street journey by Chicago and Miami after Peterson imploded early, giving up 5 earned runs over only one 1/3 innings. His ERA over his final 9 video games is 8.42, however nonetheless, the Mets are sticking with him. He may not get one other begin this week, however the membership considers it to be an “all-hands-on-deck” state of affairs, so Peterson, and just about each different pitcher on the roster, should pitch.
“It wasn’t a good one today, but our job is to continue to support him,” Mendoza mentioned. “He’s going to play a big role here in the next few days, so we’re counting on him.”
The Mets erased a five-run deficit to tie the sport within the fifth earlier than going forward within the sixth with Nimmo’s three-run homer. The Cubs (88-69), the Wild Card leaders who already punched their ticket to the playoffs, got here proper again to tie within the backside of the inning.
Then, within the high of the eighth with one on and two out, Alvarez took a 3-1 fastball from left-hander Caleb Thielbar and drove it over the ivy and into the left discipline seats. Alvarez’s tenth dwelling run of the season was fairly presumably essentially the most clutch one anybody in a Mets uniform has hit all season.
As quickly because the ball hit the stands, Alvarez turned towards the Mets dugout and yelled to his teammates in pleasure as he pumped his fists. He flexed his biceps as he rounded the bases.
“I was super excited for the moment,” Alvarez mentioned. “We took the lead in that eighth inning, and I knew that Sugar [closer Edwin Diaz] was coming into the game, and he was going to stay in the game.”
Regardless of having pitched twice within the final three days already, Diaz pitched two innings for the save (27), retiring the facet rapidly after the Mets took the lead for a ultimate time. He wanted solely 12 pitches within the eighth, and used 15 within the ninth.
“Just get outs,” Diaz mentioned of the mentality among the many relievers. “I think every single guy in the bullpen knows what they have to do to get outs.”
The Mets aren’t taking part in something conservative this week.
“I can’t be thinking about tomorrow,” Mendoza mentioned. “I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do here to win today, and then we’re about tomorrow, tomorrow.”
There have been sloppy errors and misplayed balls from each groups.
Peterson allowed a single and a stolen base within the backside of the primary inning, and with two outs, he walked cleanup hitter Carson Kelly. A fly ball by Carlos Santana sailed over Juan Soto’s head in proper discipline for a double. The misplayed ball price the Mets two runs, and the Cubs took a 2-1 lead.
It grew to 5-1 within the second. The Mets had no selection however to herald Huascar Brazobán, who gave up a run of his personal within the fourth to make the rating 6-1.
Jeff McNeil made two straight errors within the fourth to offer the Cubs an insurance coverage run.
Nonetheless, it was clear that a number of the errors and misplays had been the results of the Mets attempting too onerous. The Reds and Diamondbacks personal the head-to-head tiebreakers over the Mets, making for some extraordinarily skinny margins.
They used that frustration in opposition to Mike Soroka and Taylor Rogers within the high of the fifth, once they scored 5 occasions to tie the sport at 6-6. Rogers, the left-handed brother of Mets reliever Tyler Rogers, got here in to face the left-handed Nimmo with two on and two out. Nimmo (2-for-5, dwelling run, three RBI) took him deep to proper discipline for the game-tying homer.
Tyler Rogers was certainly one of six relievers utilized by the Mets. 5 pitched scoreless innings.
“I think that as much as I feel about my personal effort, this is the team that we have, and we’re going to stick together and guys are going to pick each other up,” Peterson mentioned. “I’m extremely grateful and proud to be a part of it.”
Cubs starter Cade Horton was eliminated after three innings with again tightness. The Mets managed just one run off of him on two hits.
Neither crew seemed prepared for the playoffs on this tilt, however the Mets made it recognized that they’re not prepared to surrender.
Initially Revealed: September 23, 2025 at 11:03 PM EDT
