CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Rizzo hit a three-run homer and Jon Lester pitched 7 2/3 innings as the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 5-1 last night, halting an 8-game losing skid.
The All-Star slugger is batting .339 with three homers and 10 RBIs in July.
The last time the Mets had visited the iconic neighborhood ballpark, they finished off a sweep of the Cubs to advance to the World Series. They also swept Chicago again in New York from June 30 to July 3, roughing up Lester for one of the wins.
Lester allowed one run with a leadoff seventh inning homer from Wilmer Flores and improved to 10-4.
Steven Matz took the loss to fall to 7-6. Matz (7-6) was charged with four runs and eight hits in five-plus innings. The rookie left-hander dropped to 0-5 in his last nine starts.