Ryan Dempster pitched seven innings of one run baseball, and the young bats in the Cubs lineup took advantage of Jonathon Niese’s struggles for the Mets as the Cubs grabbed a victory on the first game of their long homestead.
Dempster gave up just the one run on seven hits over seven innings, while striking out five and walking one. Jonathon Niese, the Mets starter, wasn’t as lucky, giving up six runs (two earned) on seven hits over just five innings pitched. Most of the damage occurred in the second inning, when the Cubs sent ten batters to the plate.
It started with Aramis Ramirez singling to get on base. After Pena made an out, Ramirez was advanced by an Alfonso Soriano single. Lou Montanez, making his debut after being called up to replace the injured Marlon Byrd, then doubled to right field to score Ramirez. A Mets error and RBI singles by Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney later, and the Cubs found themselves with a 5-0 lead.
The Cubs wouldn’t stop hitting there, though. They continued by tacking on runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Castro and Barney both ended the night with two RBIs a piece, while all other members of the starting lineup save Carlos Pena and Ryan Dempster had hits on the evening.
The Cubs will try to win two in a row as they play the second game of the series on Wednesday night. First pitch in that game will be at 7:05 P.M., CDT.