The lead changed hands five times before the Cubs finally put it away. Chicago defeated New York 10-5 at Citi Field on Wednesday, in a game that swung back and forth through six innings before the Cubs pulled clear for good in the sixth and finished with a three-run ninth.
Dansby Swanson was the central figure for Chicago. He went 3-for-5 with a triple, four RBI, and the go-ahead run. In the sixth, with the game tied 4-4, Swanson tripled to center to score Ramirez and put the Cubs ahead 5-4 — a lead they would not relinquish. He added two more RBI in the ninth when he singled to left, scoring Kelly and Ramirez to push the margin to 10-5. Pedro Ramirez crossed the plate four times and went 3-for-5 with two RBI, providing the engine at the top of the order. Nico Hoerner scored three runs and went 3-for-5.
New York kept answering through the middle innings. Francisco Alvarez homered to left center in the second to tie the game at 1-1, and A.J. Ewing followed with a two-run homer to right center — 420 feet — to give the Mets a 3-1 lead. Mark Vientos homered to left center in the fourth to tie it again at 4-4, and Bo Bichette added a solo shot to left center in the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-5. But the Mets could not sustain any of those moments. New York committed six errors, including a throwing error by Vientos in the eighth that allowed Ramirez to score and extend the Chicago lead to 7-5.
Shota Imanaga earned the win, going 5.1 innings and allowing 4 runs on 4 hits with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk. He is now 5-6 with a 4.50 ERA. Brooks Raley took the loss for New York, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits in 1.0 inning, falling to 2-2 with a 2.48 ERA.
Chicago improved to 41-37 with the victory. New York dropped to 34-44, extending its losing streak to three games.