Farrell goes from St. to winner
NEW YORK — Could backto- back walk- off losses a month ago in St. Louis have been the difference for the Cubs in beating the Mets 7- 1 in 14 innings Saturday at Citi Field?
“You have to use positive or negative experiences as a way to learn, and it certainly took me a little while to put that perspective on it,” Cubs rookie Luke Farrell said after earning the victory with five innings of relief. “I think I implemented that as best I can.”
Farrell, the son of former Red Sox manager John Farrell who was acquired during the winter, suffered both losses in St. Louis on game- ending home runs May 5 and 6. He was optioned back to Class AAA Iowa after that and didn’t return until being called up Monday in Pittsburgh.
“That was certainly the low point in my baseball career,” he said. “To have a little bounceback like this is important.”
After outlasting Jacob deGrom — who pitched a powerful seven innings — the Cubs eventually broke through in the 14th, with tworun hits by Albert Almora Jr., Ben Zobrist and Javy Baez.
Farrell started the ninth and retired the first 11 he faced and 14 of 15 until a double and two walks loaded the bases in the 13th. He induced a grounder to end the inning.
Full Monty
Joining the rotation after Yu Darvish was put on the disabled list with triceps soreness, left- hander Mike Montgomery has produced two exceptional starts, including a pitching duel with deGrom.
It’s one of the reasons manager Joe Maddon is comfortable keeping the rotation in line this week instead of using Monday’s day off to manipulate it.
Montgomery allowed only two hits in six innings — the second of which was a two- out homer by Michael Conforto in the sixth for the only run he allowed.
It’s the only run he has allowed in 11⅔ innings in those two starts, with only four hits and a walk allowed ( nine strikeouts).
No update for Yu
A week after Darvish went on the disabled, the Cubs did not have a throwing schedule for him.
The team said at the time he was expected to start throwing by early this week and suggested he might even join the team in New York before the end of the two- city trip.
“I did not talk to anybody today about Yu,” Maddon said. “Or him.”
Heyward heat
Jason Heyward, the Cubs’ long- struggling right fielder, is having the best road trip in his two- plus years as a Cub.
Since a groundout pinch- hitting in Monday’s series opener in Pittsburgh, Heyward is 12- for- 23 in five games — with three games of at least three hits — to raise his season batting average 49 points, to .271, in that span.
The most impressive performance might have been Saturday, when he delivered three of his four hits, including a seventh- inning double off the top of the wall in left- center, against deGrom.
“What he’s doing right now is different,” Maddon said, “and good.”
This and that
When right- hander Hansel Robles struck out Farrell in the 11th inning, it gave Mets pitchers 21 strikeouts — a franchise record for a game.
It broke the 20- K record they set in 1999 at Wrigley Field. They finished with 24 strikeouts.
The Cubs left the bases loaded three times, in the first, sixth and 10th innings — each ending with a strikeout.