Thanks for joining me for this game, I've been Liam McMahon. Goodbye for now.
That is the ball game, and you have to say that the Mets have taken complete control of this series. Can they respond on Tuesday night when the series heads to Wrigley Field? Stay tuned to VAVEL MLB for the latest coverage of the NLCS.
Top 9th, 3 Out Coghlan hits a slow grounder to first base and Familia gets over to cover the bag this time. That is the end of this one as the Mets win 4-1 and take a 2-0 series lead.
Top 9th, 2 Out Castro hits a soft grounder to Flores at short, who fires over to first for the sure out. Rizzo now at second.
Top 9th, 1 Out Rizzo hits a high chopper to Duda at first, and Familia didn't run over to cover. Rizzo sprinted down the line, and beat Duda to the bag. Are the Cubs in business here?
Top 9th, 1 Out Bryant flies out to Granderson in right field.
Jeurys Familia on now for the Mets, looking to close out the game.
Bottom 8th, 3 Out Cespedes catches one just off the screws which Coghlan gathers calmly in right field. Last ups coming for the Cubs.
Joe Maddon making a pitching change as Pedro Strop is ready to enter the fray.
Bottom 8th, 2 Out Daniel Murphy laces a single to left field.
Bottom 8th, 2 Out David Wright lines out to third.
Bottom 8th, 1 Out Granderson grounds out to Rizzo.
Clayton Richard on to pitch now for the Cubs.
Top 8th, 3 Out Schwarber gets under one and sends a soft fly ball into left field, which Cespedes catches.
Top 8th, 2 Outs Fowler fights one off and into left center field for a single.
Top 8th, 2 Out La Stella rips one right at Duda, who makes a diving stop before getting up and flipping to Clippard, who covered first base.
Top 8th, 1 Out Denorfia pops out to Daniel Murphy at second.
Chris Denorfia on to pinch hit for the Cubs.
Tyler Clippard on to pitch as Lagares heads to center and Cespedes moves to left.
Bottom 7th, 3 Out Lagares down swinging as Wood strikes out the side.
Juan Lagares on to pinch hit now. He will likely head to center field and Cespedes will move to left as the Mets will use a double switch here.
Bottom 7th, 2 Out Flores down after three called strikes. Wood dealing at the moment.
Bottom 7th, 1 Out Conforto called out on a fastball which catches the inside corner.
Travis Wood out for another inning of work here.
Top 7th, 3 Out Montero pops out to d'Arnaud.
Top 7th, 2 Outs Wright with another put out, this one off a can of corn into the middle of the infield.
Top 7th, 1 Out Castro lines the ball right to David Wright at third base.
Addison Reed now pitching for the Mets.
Bottom 6th, 3 Out d'Arnaud pops out along the seats down the first base line, and Rizzo makes a terrific catch along the advertising board.
Bottom 6th, 2 Out Duda called out on strikes.
Bottom 6th, 1 Out Cespedes sends a long ball to deep right field and Coghlan makes a superb leaping grab as he goes into the fence. Didn't save a home run there, but did save an extra base hit.
Tommy La Stella stays in the game and moves to second base while Starlin Castro moves to short. Travis Wood now pitching for the Cubs.
Top 6th, 3 Out Rizzo chases one with the count full and the Mets get out of the inning. Stays 4-1.
Top 6th, 2 Out Bryant doubles off the wall in deep left, and Fowler comes around to score. Terry Collins is coming out to the mound now and we will have a pitching change as the Cubs cut the deficit to 4-1. Jonathan Niese coming on for the Metropolitans now.
Syndergaard has now thrown 97 pitches this evening, you have to think this'll be his last inning.
Top 6th, 2 Out Schwarber goes down swinging yet again, that's the third time for him tonight.
Top 6th, 1 Out The ball gets away from d'Arnaud and Fowler takes second base.
Top 6th, 1 Out Fowler grounds on through the hole between first and second and the Cubs have just their second hit of the game.
Top 6th, 1 Out La Stella catches the ball of the end of the bat and flies out to Cespedes.
Tommy La Stella has come on to pinch hit for Arrieta.
Bottom 5th, 3 Out Murphy goes down look after a filthy two seam fastball that catches the edge of the inside corner.
Bottom 5th, 2 Out David Wright goes down looking.
Bottom 5th, 1 Out Granderson hits right into the shift and he is retired.
After Baez struck out, Joe Maddon decided to send Arrieta back out for the fifth inning.
Top 5th, 3 Out Baez flails at a filthy curve. Syndergaard has gotten eight of his 15 outs from strikeouts, what a performance thus far.
Tommy La Stella is in the on deck circle. If Baez get on, Arrieta will be exiting this game.
Top 5th, 2 Out Montero goes down swinging as Syndergaard picks up his seventh strikeout of the evening.
Top 5th, 1 Out Coghlan breaks his bat and sends a grounder towards short. Wright ranges to his right, fields the ball and fires to first for the out.
Bottom 4th, 3 Out Syndergaard hits a weak grounder to second base, and he is retired easily.
Bottom 4th, 2 Out Flores goes down swinging on a two seamer in on the hands. Good pitch.
Bottom 4th, 1 Out Conforto hits right into the shift, and Castro fields the ball in shallow right field before firing over to first for the out.
Top 4th, 3 Out Castro squibbs a ball down the first base line which Duda fields before tagging the runner out.
Top 4th, 2 Out Rizzo gets under one and hits a high pop up that Wright catches in the midst of the infield.
Top 4th, 1 Out Bryant flies out to left-center field where Cespedes makes the put out.
Jake Arrieta does not look like himself at the moment. The Mets certainly look odds on at the moment to take a 2-0 lead.
Bottom 3rd, 3 Out Hard hit ground ball to Castro, but he deals with it and gets the out.
Bottom 3rd, 2 Out Duda pops out to shallow left field.
Bottom 3rd, 1 Out Cespedes hits a soft ground ball into the hole between short and third. Baez gets to the ball, but has no play. Granderson comes in to score and the Mets lead 4-0.
Bottom 3rd, 1 Out Granderson swipes third as Murphy loses his nerve and didn't hold up his end of the double steal. Runners at first and third now.
Bottom 3rd, 1 Out Arrieta has decided to intentionally walk Daniel Murphy. Runners at first and second now, Yoenis Cespedes steps up to the plate now.
Bottom 3rd, 1 Out Travis Wood loosening in the pen for the Cubs as Arrieta continues to look like less than his best.
Bottom 3rd, 1 Out Wright strikes out on the pitch, but Granderson takes off and swipes second base. Mets in business here.
Bottom 3rd, 0 Out Granderson draws a walk.
Top 3rd, 3 Out Schwarber goes down looking, and he is not pleased with the call.
Top 3rd, 2 Out Fowler draws a walk, Chicago not done yet here.
Top 3rd, 2 Out Arrieta goes down swinging.
Top 3rd, 1 Out Baez flails at a curve ball just off the edge of the plate and strikes out.
Crazy stat just brought to us on tv: 60% of Syndergaard's regular season pitches were at least 95 MPH.
Bottom 2nd, 3 Out Syndergaard goes down swinging. Much better from Arrieta that inning.
Bottom 2nd, 2 Out Flores rips a liner right at Castro, who calmly gloves it.
Bottom 2nd, 1 Out Conforto goes down swinging after whiffing on a curve from Arrieta.
Top 2nd, 3 Out Montero called out on strikes looking.
Top 2nd, 2 Out Coghlan launches one to deep right field, and Granderson goes up and robs him of a home run!
Top 2nd, 1 Out Castro grounds out to third.
Bottom 1st, 3 Out d'Arnaud goes down on strikes. What a start for the Mets.
Bottom 1st, 2 Out Duda down on strikes.
Bottom 1st, 1 Out Cespedes pops out to Rizzo
Bottom 1st, 0 Out Murphy catches a hold of another one, and this one stays fair as it finds the seats in right field. 3-0 Mets!
Bottom 1st, 0 Out Murphy hits a bomb down the right field line that goes just foul.
Bottom 1st, 0 Out David Wright with a double off the wall in deep center that plates Granderson. 1-0 Mets!
Bottom 1st, o Out Granderson gets things started off for the Mets with a seeing eye single that finds a hole in the shift and gets into right field.
Top 1st, 3 Out Rizzo goes down swinging. Syndergaard dealing already.
Top 1st, 2 Out Bryant rips a liner to left field for a single.
Top 1st, 2 Out Syndergaard with a filthy change up just off the outside corner for a strikeout. Great pitch.
Top 1st, 1 Out Fowler starts things off with a hard hit ground ball to Murphy at second base, who fires to first for the out.
Top 1st, 0 Out Syndergaard is out on the mound warming, time to get underway.
Temperature has dropped to 41 degrees now. Not envying those people sitting out in the upper deck.
Just about time for first pitch in New York. Here. We. Go.
It feels as though this game has to be declared a must win for Chicago. They will have thrown their two aces in Games 1 and 2, and if they lose tonight it feels as though the mental boost New York would pick up would leave the Cubs with an insurmountable task.
New York Mets batting order: Curtis Granderson, David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Yoenis Cespedes, Lucas Duda, Travis d'Arnaud, Michael Conforto, Wilmer Flores, Noah Syndergaard
Chicago Cubs batting order: Dexter Fowler, Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro, Chris Coghlan, Miguel Montero, Javier Baez, Jake Arrieta
Almost time for the first pitch. What are you guys thinking will happen in this one? Let me know on Twitter at @liam_mcmahon_11
Heavy winds tonight during this game, it's swirling at 17 miles an hour with the temperature at just 44 degrees. Will that play a role in the outcome of tonight's game?
It's a cold one tonight at Citi Field, but the atmosphere within the stadium is already incredible. We're just half an hour away from the start of this game as television coverage starts on TBS.
Jeurys Familia has starred for the Mets all postseason, and is the first closer since 2011 to post back-to-back saves of four outs or more. Will that continue tonight? Or will Chicago be able to level the series?
Meanwhile, the Cubs are also bragging about their star players, informing followers that Kyle Schwarber has tied a Cubs record with a home run in three consecutive postseason games.
The Mets are not pulling any punches as they talk themselves up on Twitter in the lead up to this match, informing followers that they boast only the second Met ever (Daniel Murphy) to homer in three straight postseason games but also the player (Curtis Granderson) with the highest batting average in the postseason at .381.
The apple is recovering well from its injury last night, and is looking forward to first pitch as well.
Once again, hello and welcome to VAVEL USA's live coverage of Game 2. We're just about 90 minutes away from first pitch, and I cannot wait to bring you all this one.
While Cubs manager Joe Maddon was a bit more reserved in his praise of Harvey, it was no less glowing. "If Harvey wasn't pitching, it would have looked a lot better. He was outstanding tonight," Maddon said. "His stuff is always good, but the command was outrageous tonight."
Murphy's bat and his glove (he made a stellar defensive play to end the game) may have written the headlines, but Harvey's pitching was so good that it drew acclaim from the managers of both teams. Mets manager Terry Collins spoke about his ace with pride, saying "I talk to this guy every day. I know exactly what he's made of. He wants the baseball... That is not just a mask that he is putting out. This kid likes to compete."
The next time they came up to the plate, Travis d'Arnaud stepped up and filled Murphy's shoes by crushing a home run to deep center. So perfect was the contact that the ball hit the top of the big apple in straightaway center field as the Mets took a 3-1 lead. They would tack on another run in the bottom of the 7th to extend their advantage to 4-1. While Kyle Schwarber gave the Cubs a bit of hope in the top of the 8th with a long ball to deep right field, the night belonged to the Mets, who took a 1-0 lead in this NLCS.
In the bottom half of that inning, the Mets got back out in front. Following a defensive misstep from Kris Bryant, the Mets found themselves with runners at first and second with two outs. Curtis Granderson stepped up to the plate, and blooped a single to center field which plated Juan Lagares. The Mets would not stop there.
However, he was powerless to keep the Cubs from getting back into the game in the 5th inning. After Matt Harvey had made a rare error and hit Anthony Rizzo in the arm, Starlin Castro blasted a drive to deep center field. The ball was misplayed, and went all the way to the wall, allowing Rizzo to score and even the game. It seemed the Cubs were in business with a great chance to open up a big lead, until Yoenis Cespedes got involved. With Castro still on second, Javier Baez singled to left field, and Castro attempted to score. Cespedes fielded Baez's grounder cleanly, and fired home to get Castro out easily.
Speaking of Game 1, here's a run down of what happened in the opening act of this year's National League Championship Series. As it was in Game 5 of the NLDS, last night's action was all about the play of Daniel Murphy. He's been the hero for the Mets on so many past occasions, and he reprised that role on Saturday night right off the bat, literally. Murphy got the Metropolitans on the board in the first inning with a tape measure blast into the right field seats, bringing Citi Field to its feet.
While Syndergaard has established himself as the face of the future in New York, Jake Arrieta has shown that he is the class of Major League Baseball this season. Early on in his career, he struggled. However, since his 2013 trade from the Baltimore Orioles to the Chicago Cubs, Arrieta has been superb, and constantly improving. He is the clear favorite for the NL Cy Young award this year after posting a 22-6 record with an ERA of 1.77 over the course of 33 starts. He's been incredible in the postseason as well, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card round by tossing a complete game shutout and defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series.
Syndergaard is viewed as the next great pitching hope of the New York Mets organization. The 23-year-old has posted a record of 9-7 with an ERA of 3.24 over the course of 24 starts and 150 innings pitched this season, but lost his one previous postseason start during the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that game, Syndergaard gave up three runs over the course of 7.1 innings and picked up the loss.
Game 1 served up an incredible pitching match-up as Matt Harvey outdueled Jon Lester in the Mets' 4-2 victory. However, it's possible that Game 2 is giving us an even better one as Jake Arrieta is set to take on Noah Syndergaard. Both Arrieta and Syndergaard have been superb all season, giving this game the air of a true pitcher's duel.
Hello and welcome to VAVEL USA's live coverage of Game 2 of the National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets from Citi Field in Flushing Meadows, New York, New York. We've got a lot of time before first pitch tonight, which is scheduled for just after 8:00 PM ET, so sit back, relax and allow me to take you through the lead-up to the start of the game. My name is Liam McMahon, and I'm thrilled to be bringing you all this match.