Chicago @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 10, 2011 ) Chi. Cubs 5, NY Mets 4

THE STORY: The nationally televised game at Citi Field on Sunday night will mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City. Pregame ceremonies will be held before the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets meet in the finale of their three-game series. The teams split the first two games by 5-4 scores. The Mets rallied in the ninth inning to win Friday and the Cubs came back in the ninth Saturday.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Matt Garza (8-10, 3.52 ERA) vs. Mets RH Miguel Batista (4-2, 3.92 ERA).

Garza will be making his first career appearance against New York. Jason Bay (3-for-15 with six strikeouts) is the only Mets hitter with an extensive track record against the righthander. Garza is 4-2 with a 2.23 ERA in his last seven starts, but he's been inconsistent in his first season in the National League.

The fact the Mets are using a 40-year-old journeyman in the rotation at this point of the season shows what kind of year it's been. The Mets signed Batistia to a minor league contract in July after he was released by St. Louis. He's pitched well in his two starts with New York, going 1-0 and allowing three runs in 12 innings. Alfonso Soriano is hitting .083 (2-for-24) lifetime against Batista.

ABOUT THE CUBS (63-82): Finding a position for Bryan LaHair is like fitting a square peg into a round hole. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder is a first baseman, but Carlos Pena occupies that spot. Manager Mike Quade has been playing LaHair in right field to get his bat in the lineup. That strategy has worked so far. LaHair has a hit in his first six games, batting .438 (7-for-16) with a triple, homer and four RBIs. His pinch-hit double in the ninth inning helped spark Saturday's win. LaHair hit 38 home runs at Triple-A Iowa this season so the Cubs have nothing to lose by seeing what he can do in the final weeks.

ABOUT THE METS (71-74): If someone wants to put together a DVD to sum up the Mets’ season, Saturday's game would be perfect. Trailing 3-0 entering the eighth, New York scored four times to go ahead. Just when it looked like the Mets would win for the 12th time in 17 games, the game got away. New York will be eliminated from postseason contention any day now. The Mets haven't made the playoffs since 2006, and a .500 finish won't do much to appease the demanding New York fans. Battling Washington for third place in the NL East isn't much of an accomplishment for a team that began the season with a $142 million payroll.

FINAL PITCH: Justin Turner, who drove in the winning run Friday, didn't play Saturday because of a stomach virus.