Golden Guys

Apparently, all the Mets needed to fix their problems was to see the Cubs. It doesn't seem to matter how many games the Cubs have won, or how big a lead they have in their division, or what kind of wins record or runs record they're on pace to break, or how many No Hitters GOLDEN JAKE has thrown, the Mets seem to look awfully comfortable against these guys.

Winning the first two games of the series was pretty good, but it was sneered to us on FOX, who carried last night's game, the Mets did the damage against the good Cubs pitchers, but now they have to face GOLDEN JAKE, who in case you hadn't heard is the second coming of Nolan Ryan.

So, of course, in keeping with recent trends, the Mets jumped on Arrieta early. Brandon Nimmo walked to lead off, Neil Walker followed with a 2-run Home Run and the Mets were on their way. It seemed as though the Mets were ready to blow the doors off Arrieta as they kept laying off the junk he was throwing up there, worked a bunch of deep counts and ultimately made him throw 35 pitches, but they didn't score any further.

Bartolo Colon on the other hand just chugged along as he usually does. He only hiccuped in the 4th inning when Anthony Rizzo tied the game with a 2-run Home Run (and odd how this is the first time I've mentioned Rizzo all weekend--he's probably been carrying the team the most this season and the Mets had just stoned him to that point). No matter. The Mets went right back out against GOLDEN JAKE and got the runs back, thanks to a dying quail from Travis d'Arnaud that plated a pair of 2-out runs in the last of the 4th. This was one of those parachute hits, that managed to elude Javier Baez, the Shortstop who's playing 2nd Base in Joe Maddon's weird lineup (not to be confused with Ben Zobrist, the 2nd Baseman who's playing Right Field).

This got the Mets back ahead 4-2 over Arrieta and basically put a giant turd in his kale juice. I've already talked about how I've basically decided that Arrieta is just a total stick in the mud, whether it's because of the mutant beard he has, or the milquetoast interviews he always gives, or the Yoga, he just seems like he's no fun at all, and he basically proved my point last night, since after the Mets jumped on him in the first and he didn't get some close calls, he spent most of his 5.1 innings of work stomping around the mound with a giant puss on his face. Bartolo, by comparison, looked like Bartolo. He finished 6 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits.

And, Erik Goeddel came in for the 7th and immediately gave up a 2-out Home Run to Zobrist and made everyone rather nervous. Jerry Blevins followed and walked Jason Heyward and got everyone more nervous. However, Addison Reed came in and restored order, first by striking out Baseball Jesus, and then by striking out everyone in the 8th, looking very much like the guy who'd been pitching so well over the first two months of the season. In the 9th, Jeurys Familia had a similarly easy time of things.

The best part of this, of course, was taking down GOLDEN JAKE in front of a National TV audience on FOX, with wonderful Joe Buck and chuckling jackass Ken Rosenthal in the building. Usually, this is a combination that leads to the Mets doing stupid things and getting sneered at some more. Instead, the Mets threw it back in their faces with aplomb. The Mets have now taken the first 3 games against the Cubs and looked especially sharp in doing so. The Cubs have sort of been this unsolvable nut for a majority of Major League teams over the first half of the season, but the Mets, in spite of every dopey issue they've had, have been able to crack the code. Now, amazingly, the Mets can sweep the Cubs right out of town altogether this afternoon.