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| 4:40 PM PT5:40 PM MT6:40 PM CT7:40 PM ET19:40 ET23:40 GMT7:40 4:40 PM MST6:40 PM EST7:10 PM VEN3:40 UAE (+1)5:40 PM CT, May 25, 2023 Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois Attendance: 35,446 |
Kyle Hendricks set for season debut as Cubs face Mets
New York Mets at Chicago Cubs
- The Mets won three of their four games at Wrigley Field last year (July 14-17). It was the first time they won a road series against the Cubs since 2013. The Mets had a 4-19 record at Wrigley Field from 2014 through 2021 (six series losses and one split).
- The Mets have won their last five games, with each win by one run, tying a franchise record set in 1984 (July 20-24). They've also tied a modern MLB record by winning five consecutive games by a one-run margin despite trailing in each game. It was done six other times since 1901, most recently by the Giants in 1998 (June 5-9).
- Kodai Senga recorded 12 strikeouts in six innings against the Rays in his last start. It was the fourth time in Mets history that a rookie had 12 or more strikeouts in the first six innings of a game. The others to do that are Dwight Gooden (13 on Sept. 16, 1984), Zack Wheeler (12 on Aug. 15, 2013) and Jacob deGrom (13 on Sept. 15, 2014).
- The Cubs have lost seven of their last eight games and they are 6-16 since April 28, with an 0-8 record in one-run games. The Cubs' record since April 28 is the second worst in the majors (Oakland, 5-18).
- Christopher Morel is the first player in modern MLB history (1901 to date) with at least one hit and one run scored in each of his first 11 games of a season. He's the fourth player in MLB history to hit eight or more home runs in his first 11 games of a season. The others are Mike Schmidt (nine, 1976), Luis Gonzalez (nine, 2001) and Aristedes Aquino (eight, 2019).
- Drew Smyly lost his first start this season (April 3 at Cincinnati), allowing seven runs in 4.2 innings, but he has not given up more than two runs in any of his eight starts since then (4-0, 1.97 ERA, 45.2 innings, 28 hits, eight walks, 43 strikeouts). That ties him with Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan (March 30-May 8) for the longest such streak in the majors this season.
After navigating a long road back to health, Kyle Hendricks is ready for his return to the Chicago Cubs. Back from his own injury issue, Carlos Carrasco aims to halt his early-season struggles for the New York Mets.
Hendricks will make his first appearance in more than 10 months as the Cubs go for a three-game series sweep of the visiting Mets on Thursday night. Carrasco will start for New York.
The lone remaining member of Chicago's 2016 World Series-winning club, Hendricks hasn't been on a big-league mound since July 5, 2022, because of a shoulder injury. However, after ample rehabilitation, minor league work and a bullpen session at Wrigley Field this week, the right-hander will get the ball as the Cubs eye a fourth straight home victory.
"Just exciting to get him back," Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said of Hendricks, who opted against having surgery to repair the capsular tear in his shoulder. "He's the perfect teammate. ...I think everyone's excited to have him back and on the mound here."
The 33-year-old veteran is 87-61 with a 3.46 career ERA in 223 games (222 starts) since breaking in with Chicago in 2014.
Hendricks has fared quite well vs. New York, going 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA in five career regular-season starts. He will look to help the Cubs remain perfect after they held the Mets to two runs in each of the first two games of the series following a 2-7 road trip.
New York entered the current series a winner of five straight. However, starters Tylor Megill and Kodai Senga allowed nine runs, seven earned, over 8 2/3 innings the past two days for the Mets, who have dropped 11 of their past 14 on the road.
Carrasco (0-2, 8.68 ERA) has yielded five or more runs in three of his four starts this season.
The right-hander missed more than a month with elbow inflammation, then returned Friday to allow five runs, including a three-run homer, five hits and two walks over five innings against his former club, the Cleveland Guardians.
Though Carrasco was far from efficient, he yielded just one run in his final three innings.
"It was good to be able to finish my pitches," Carrasco said. "I didn't in the beginning of the season."
Carrasco is 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA in three lifetime starts vs. Chicago. In a small sample size, Nico Hoerner, who homered during the Cubs' 4-2 victory on Wednesday, is 2-for-3 against Carrasco.
Chicago's Christopher Morel, who is 0-for-1 with a walk vs. Carrasco, pushed his season-opening hitting streak to 13 games with an infield single on Wednesday. Morel had homered in each of the previous five games.
New York star Pete Alonso is 0-for-4 against Hendricks but has collected a hit in eight of his past nine games, bashing five homers during that stretch. Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, who clubbed a two-run homer on Wednesday, is 6-for-13 with three home runs and seven RBIs in his past four contests.
"At the end of the day, I have to stay in control of myself," Alvarez, who is making the most of his opportunity after arriving in the majors late last season, said on SNY. "This at-bat comes down to me."
--Field Level Media
Updated May 25, 2023
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