Cubs Fall to Mets in Game 1, Game 2 Preview

Matt Harvey had a strong Game 1 (Oct. 17, 2015) outing to lift the New York Mets over the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 National League Championship Series, 4-2.

Harvey pitched 7.667 innings allowing two runs on four hits and striking out nine. The Cubs starter John Lester worked 6.667 innings giving up all four runs the Mets needed to win. Lester gave up eight hits and struck out five.

There was a lot of pre-game buzz that the Cubs won the season series, 7-0. The thing to note is that all seven games played in the first half of the season. The Mets are a different team now. The Mets ranked 14th in the NL in scoring before the All-Star Game. They led the league in scoring in the second half.

GAME 2 PREVIEW: The two teams return to Citi Field in New York for Game 2. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:30 PM-CT with the game starting at 7:00 PM-CT.

CHANGE OF FATE: The Cubs are not the only ones looking for a change in fate. Cubs' Game 2 starter Jake Arrieta's (RHP) 21 straight quality starts ended during his last appearance. He allowed four runs, yet he still managed to secure the win against the St. Louis Cardinals. During the regular season, he dominated the Mets. Arrieta went 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA. He had 17 strikeouts in 16 innings of work.

FIRE IN THE NIGHT: The Mets will call on fireballer Noah Syndergaard (RHP) to start Game 2. His last appearance came in relief on Thursday against the LA Dodgers. He throw 13 pitches. 12 of those were fastballs at 99 MPH. Syndergaad made his MLB debute earlier this season against the Cubs (May 2015) allowing 3 earned runs in 5.333 innings of work.