Mets vs. Cubs recap: Bartolo bests Arrieta, Mets win again

There’s something delightful about the unexpected. Earlier this week, the Mets were doomed, and the best team in baseball was coming into town. But after a couple of Mets wins over the Cubs on Thursday and Friday nights, Bartolo Colon out-pitched Jake Arrieta on Saturday night as the Mets beat Chicago again.

The Mets got to Arrieta very early. Brandon Nimmo drew the first walk of his major league career to open the bottom of the first, and Neil Walker followed up with a two-run home run. And after Colon gave up a two-run home run to Anthony Rizzo in the top of the fourth, the Mets answered immediately when Travis d’Arnaud blooped a two-run, two-out single that put them up 4-2.

That was the last time the Mets scored in the game, but it was just enough. Colon got through the sixth inning without allowing the Cubs to score again, and the bullpen gave up just one—a Ben Zobrist home run off Erik Goeddel in the seventh—on its way to closing out the game. Addison Reed struck out four and allowed just a single in one-and-a-third innings, and Jeurys Familia needed just 11 pitches to retire the Cubs in order in the ninth.

So with that, the Mets have an opportunity to complete a four-game sweep of the Cubs today. That’s not something many people would have thought possible just a few days ago.

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What’s WPA?

Big winners: Travis d’Arnaud, +27.6% WPA, Neil Walker, +18.1% WPA, Addison Reed, +15.2% WPA, Jeurys Familia, +14.2% WPA
Big losers: none
Teh aw3s0mest play: Travis d’Arnaud hits a two-run single in the fourth, +25.0% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Anthony Rizzo hits a two-run home run in the fourth, -21.2% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +26.1% WPA
Total batter WPA: +23.9% WPA
GWRBI!: Travis d’Arnaud