Chicago Cubs sweep Mets, look to continue winning ways
You have to figure that somewhere, the late Ron Santo is smiling.
For Santo, the only way Thursday's 6-1 victory over the New York Mets could have been any better is if it had come at old Shea Stadium, the place he most despised.
But ol' Ronnie would take this Cubs triumph at Citi Field.
Not only did the streaky Cubs sweep the Mets in three games, they took all seven they played against the New Yorkers this season.
It marked only the fourth time in history the Cubs had swept a season series of at least five games from a team and the first since they went 6-0 against the Atlanta Braves in 2008.
For the record, the Cubs swept Cincinnati (10-0) in 1876 and Buffalo (15-0) in 1885. They now own a nine-game winning streak overall against the Mets.
The mini three-game winning streak comes on the heels of the Cubs losing two last week to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field and being swept by the Cardinals in three games last weekend at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
They now come home with a record of 42-35 to face the Marlins, who swept the Giants to help the Cubs leapfrog San Francisco and move into the second wild-card spot.
Starting pitching was extremely strong for the Cubs in New York. Jake Arrieta (8-5, 2.80 ERA) pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball. On Wednesday, Jon Lester went 7 shutout innings. In Tuesday's series opener Kyle Hendricks blanked the Mets over 6 innings.
"Overall, we knew we had to pick it up," Arrieta told reporters. "We had to make a decision coming here: Were we up for the challenge?"
Anthony Rizzo's RBI single broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning. Jonathan Herrera gave Arrieta a 4-1 lead with a 2-run homer in the sixth. It was Herrera's first home run since July 7, 2013 against the Arizona Diamondbacks while he was playing for the Colorado Rockies. Herrera started at third base in place of rookie Kris Bryant, who was getting a breather. In addition to his 2-run homer, Herrera bunted home a run in the second.
"He stays ready," manager Joe Maddon said of Herrera. "He's just a solid, solid guy to have on the team."
Miguel Montero sealed the deal in the ninth with a 2-run homer, his 10th of the year. Travis Wood finished up for Arrieta.
In the fold:
The Cubs announced the signing of left-handed pitcher Bryan Hudson, the club's third round pick (82nd overall) of the June draft. So far, the Cubs have signed 28 of their 40 picks, including the following three new signees: Hudson, right-hander Preston Morrison (eighth round) and right-hander Scott Effross (15th).
Hudson, 18, starred at downstate Alton High School and went 10-2 with 5 shutouts and an 0.50 ERA in 70⅓ innings while striking out 152 in 15 appearances (13 starts) this past season.
The Cubs also were active as the international signing period opened. According to reports from mlb.com and Baseball America, they signed shortstop Yonathan Perlaza for $1.3 million, outfielder Yonathan Sierra Estiwal for $2.5 million, infielder Aramis Adelman of for $2 million, catcher Miguel Amaya for $1.25 million, third baseman Christopher Martinez ($1 million) and pitcher Yunior Perez ($600,000).
Clubs do not make formal announcements until players have passed physical exams.
Cubs scouting report
Cubs vs. Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet today and Sunday; FOX Saturday
Radio: WBBM 780-AM
Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Jason Hammel (5-3) vs. Tom Koehler (6-4) today at 1:20 p.m.; Donn Roach (0-1) vs. Jarred Cosart (1-3) Saturday at 6:15 p.m.; Kyle Hendricks (3-4) vs. Mat Latos (3-5) Sunday at 1:20 p.m.
At a glance: The Cubs (42-35) lost two of three to the Marlins (34-46) in Miami to start June. Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton, with his 27 homers and .952 OPS, is on the disabled list after undergoing left-hand surgery. Former Cubs farmhand Justin Bour hit a walk-off homer Wednesday to beat the Giants. He hit his ninth homer of the year Thursday and has homered in three straight games. Dee Gordon entered Thursday with a line of .349/.368/.431 with 26 stolen bases. The Marlins went into Thursday ranked 13th in runs scored, 11th in on-base percentage and 10th in homers. The Cubs were 12th in runs, seventh in OBP and sixth in homers. This is the start of a 10-game homestand for the Cubs leading into the all-star break.
Next: St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field, Monday-Wednesday
- Bruce Miles