The Sports Xchange
Jun 13, 2017
NEW YORK -- Left-hander Jon Lester cruised to his 150th career win Tuesday night, when the Chicago Cubs crushed five homers on their way to a 14-3 rout of the New York Mets at Citi Field.
The Cubs (32-32) won for just the second time in their last seven games. The Mets (29-34) had their four-game winning streak snapped.
Lester (4-4) allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out 10 over seven innings. He is the eighth active pitcher to reach 150 wins.
Lester, who entered the game with a .066 career batting average, also helped jump-start a seven-run second inning by the Cubs with a two-out single. Ian Happ delivered the big hit in the second with a grand slam, while Addison Russell ended the outburst with a two-run double.
Anthony Rizzo, batting leadoff for the first time ever, smoked a homer in the first inning, drew a bases-loaded walk in the second and hit an RBI double in the third. Jason Heyward (two-run homer in the sixth), Kris Bryant (solo shot in the seventh) and Javier Baez (two-run homer in the ninth) added blasts.
Yoenis Cespedes had an RBI double in the first for the Mets, who received back-to-back solo homers from Neil Walker and Lucas Duda in the ninth.
Right-hander Zack Wheeler (3-4) allowed eight runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three over 1 2/3 innings -- the shortest start of his career.
The Cubs jumped out to a quick lead thanks to Rizzo, who made his first at-bat in the leadoff spot a memorable one by homering on Wheeler's second pitch.
The Mets built a run in the bottom of the inning when Juan Lagares led off with a double, stole second, went to third on a Wilmer Flores groundout and scored on Cespedes' double.
The Cubs chased Wheeler during a marathon second, when they scored all their runs with two outs.
Lester singled with two outs before Albert Almora Jr. walked to load the bases for Rizzo, who drew a walk to force home Willson Contreras. Happ followed with his first career grand slam.
Bryant and Heyward singled before Russell, who lined out to start the inning, laced a two-run double to extend the lead to 8-1 and finally end Wheeler's night.
Rizzo delivered an RBI double in the third.
NOTES: The Mets placed SS Asdrubal Cabrera (left thumb) on the 10-day disabled list and recalled INF T.J. Rivera from Triple-A Las Vegas. ... Mets OF Michael Conforto (stiff back) missed a second straight game. ... Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks (right hand tendinitis) experienced pain during a side session Tuesday and will not come off the disabled list Friday as the Cubs had hoped. ... Cubs LHP Jon Lester had a hit and a walk in the same game for the third time in his career.