Game Recaps

Cubs Beat Mets, Johan Santana

Johan Santana did not honor Hispanic Heritage Night Friday at Citi Field, suffering through his second-shortest outing of the season in a loss to the Cubs. The Mets did make it exciting, but their bid for a second straight ninth inning comeback fell short.

Johan Santana gives up leadoff homer to Reed Johnson
Johan Santana gives up leadoff homer to Reed Johnson

The game got off to an ominous start for Santana– Reed Johnson led off the game for the Cubs with a home run for the 1-0 lead.

Lucas Duda tied things up with a solo shot in the second, his 12th homer of the season, tying him for the team lead.

The Mets took a 2-1 lead in the third when Ruben Tejada walked and Ronny Cedeno doubled him home.

But the lead would not last long as a Chicago sacrifice fly in the fourth tied the game at two.

Santana lost it in the fifth — after allowing two hits, Anthony Rizzo launched a Santana offering over the wall in right to give the Cubs the lead, 5-2. Jeff Baker also homered to make it 6-2. Santana then allowed three more singles to extend the lead to 7-2.

And that was all for Santana. He went just 4.2 innings, allowing the seven runs on 13 hits. Santana did manage to strike out six Cubs and did not walk a batter, so there’s that.

The Mets made it 7-3 in the sixth on a sacrifice fly.

The Cubs added a run in the eighth as did the Mets; Justin Turner’s fourth hit on the night drove in David Wright to make it 8-4.

With one out in the ninth Jordany Valdespin hit a solo homer against struggling Cubs closer Carlos Marmol to make it 8-5. Marmol then walked Tejada, pinch hitter Daniel Murphy and Wright to load the bases. Ike Davis pinch hit for Scott Hairston and hit a liner past the second baseman to drive in two to cut the lead to 8-7. Duda then came to the plate with runners on first and second. He hit a line drive right back to Marmol, who snagged it and doubled Davis off of first. Game over.


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