Levine: 'Little Things Add Up' For Cubs In NLCS Game 1 Loss
By Bruce Levine--
NEW YORK (CBS) -- Good pitching and cold conditions appear to have set the tone for this NLCS series, in which the Cubs and left-hander Jon Lester were the first to blink in a 4-2 loss to the Mets in Game 1 on Saturday night in New York.
Lester gave up a solo home run to New York second baseman Daniel Murphy with two outs in the first inning, which set the tone for the night.
The Cubs were totally shut down until the fifth inning, when Mets right-hander Matt Harvey finally looked human for the first time. Harvey hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch to lead off the frame, which marked Chicago's first baserunner. Starlin Castro followed with a double over the center fielder Juan Lagares' head to score Rizzo, tying the game at 1-1 and setting up a chance at a big inning. But after an unproductive groundout by Jorge Soler, the Cubs made a miscue.
Javier Baez singled to short left field. On a questionable decision, third-base coach Gary Jones waved Castro home. Castro took a wide turn at third and was gunned down by Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes on a rifle throw. Baez would steal second and go to third on a throwing error, but he was stranded when Lester struck out.
The Mets responded to grab a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the frame on a two-out RBI single by Curtis Granderson. That came after Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant dropped the ball on a transfer, preventing him from turning a double play to get out of the inning.
"Always, the little things add up," Cubs catcher David Ross said. "You give them a little credit for getting two-out hits. Three of their runs were with two outs. They battled, got hits when they needed them."
Lester allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk in 6 2/3 innings. The long ball turned out to bite him twice, with the solo home run by Murphy and another by catcher Travis d'Arnaud in the sixth inning.
Lester allowed single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, a by-product of an average outing for the battle-tested pitcher who's thrown in many big postseason games. The run in the seventh inning came on a sacrifice fly after Lagares stole third with one out when Lester didn't hold him on at all.
"He was OK," Ross said of Lester. "This was probably not his best outing. He battled with some of his stuff that wasn't as sharp. His cutter was not as sharp as it normally is. I thought he pitched really well for what he had today."
The 48-degree weather with 16-mph winds were tough conditions for both clubs. Harvey handled it better, as his stuff and command was on point. He allowed two runs in 7 2/3 innings, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out nine.
"He had good stuff," Castro said. "We hit some balls really hard at people. This is just one game. Remember we lost the first one in St Louis (in the NLDS). We have Jake (Arrieta) tomorrow, so we will be ready."
Cubs manager Joe Maddon stayed in his usual relaxed mode after the game. Like usual, there's no expectation of taking batting practice Sunday. Just report ready to play, a Cubs coach told the players.
Chicago will have right-hander Jake Arrieta taking the mound, while New York will turn to rookie right-hander Noah Syndergaard.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
