NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a three-run homer, Dansby Swanson also went deep and drove in four and the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 9-6 on Tuesday night despite an injury to starting pitcher Edward Cabrera.
The right-hander hurt his left leg stretching to catch a throw at first base for the final out of the fifth inning. In obvious pain, he was carted off the field with a left hamstring/adductor strain.
New York slugger Juan Soto
exited in the fifth with tightness on the left side of his back. Francisco Alvarez homered and knocked in three runs for the last-place Mets. Bo Bichette added a two-run shot in a three-run ninth.
Coming off consecutive rainouts, Chicago scored five times in the second against Kodai Senga (0-6), ineffective again in his second start since coming off the injured list. The right-hander issued a leadoff walk and hit a batter with a pitch before walking Carson Kelly with the bases loaded to force in the first run.
Swanson had a sacrifice fly and Crow-Armstrong launched his 17th home run to right-center, extending his career-best on-base streak to 24 games dating to May 26. The star center fielder has 11 homers, seven doubles and 20 RBIs while hitting over .400 during that stretch.
The home run Tuesday was his fifth in his last six games and it pushed his hitting streak to 11 games.
Swanson, batting ninth, added a two-run shot off Senga in the fourth and an RBI double in a two-run eighth. Kelly, who scored three times, also had a run-scoring double in that inning as the Cubs got four straight hits off reliever Tobias Myers, the last three of them doubles.
Cabrera (5-4) gave up two runs, three hits and four walks over five innings in the opener of a four-game series.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell was ejected for arguing a replay reversal in the seventh.
The start was delayed 11 minutes by rain.
A day-night doubleheader between the teams Wednesday, with the first game scheduled to make up Monday night's rainout.
Shota Imanaga (4-6, 4.26 ERA) and Javier Assad (5-1, 3.89) are set to start for Chicago. Nolan McLean (4-4, 3.67) and Sean Manaea (1-2, 4.64) will go for the Mets. The order for both teams was to be determined.
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