NEW YORK – Say this for Daniel Murphy and the New York Mets: They have their October formula down and are sticking with it.
Murphy homered off yet another ace to provide an early cushion for Noah Syndergaard, and the Mets breezed past Jake Arrieta the Chicago Cubs 4-1 Sunday night for a 2-0 lead in a surprisingly one-sided NL Championship Series.
Power, pitching, plus some dazzling defense – just like the Amazin’ Mets of 1969.
“We’ve beaten some of the best the game has to offer,” Mets captain David Wright said.
Baseball’s most dominant pitcher since the All-Star break, Arrieta had not even settled in when Murphy homered for the fourth straight game, a two-run drive just inside the right-field pole in a three-run first inning.
“We’re having a whole bunch of fun right now,” said Murphy, who homered in the first inning for the second straight game and seems to have a reserved star-of-the-game seat in the interview room.
Given the quick lead on a chilly night, Syndergaard kept the bats of Chicago’s young sluggers on ice with shutout ball into the sixth.
Curtis Granderson robbed Chris Coghlan of a likely home run with a leaping grab at the center-field wall, swiped a pair of bases and scored two runs for the Mets.
After beating Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Jon Lester and Arrieta, the Mets are two wins from reaching their first World Series since 2000.
New York starts NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. Rookie left-hander Steven Matz is set for Game 4, followed by Game 1 winner Matt Harvey on Thursday, if needed.
“They don’t have the credentials that Kershaw and Greinke and Lester and Arrieta have, but they’re going to be good pitchers,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “We think we can stack up with anybody.”
Chicago goes with Kyle Hendricks in Game 3. If the long-downtrodden Cubs are to reach the World Series for the first time since 1945, they must first force the best-of-seven NLCS back to Citi Field next weekend.
“We’re all about one-game winning streaks,” Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. “I know it’s psychobabble 101, but it actually works.”
After homering off Kershaw, Greinke and Lester, Murphy added his fifth home run of the postseason, giving him eight RBIs in seven games. He’s one from matching Carlos Beltran’s record of homering in five straight postseason games.
“He’s about as locked in as I’ve seen a hitter,” Wright said.
Long, blond locks flowing out the back of his cap, Syndergaard seems to be taking on a bit of Harvey’s cockiness. He gained the nickname Thor – the Norse god known for fierce storms – after he tweeted a photo of himself in costume doing squats on Halloween two years ago.