Mets already in playoff mode in must-win game against Cubs

The New York Mets briefly lost control of their playoff destiny when they lost 11 of 15 games. But on Tuesday, they regained the upper hand following their spirited victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Fresh off overcoming a five-run deficit in a 9-7 win in the opener of a three-game series, New York will look to strengthen its tenuous grip on the final wild-card spot in the National League when it visits Chicago on Wednesday night.

The victory by the Mets (81-76) moved them one game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds (80-77) in the wild-card battle. The Reds, in turn, saw their five-game winning streak end with a 4-2 setback to the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier on Tuesday. Cincinnati, however, would hold the tiebreaker should it finish tied with New York by virtue of winning four of the six games in the season series.

The Arizona Diamondbacks (80-77) are tied with the Reds for the final NL wild-card berth. Arizona beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 on Tuesday.

The Cubs are locked in to either the first or second wild card.

Two big blows enabled the Mets to take a step forward on Tuesday. Brandon Nimmo belted a three-run homer to forge a 6-6 in the fifth inning, and Francisco Alvarez added a go-ahead two-run shot in the eighth.

Edwin Diaz's availability for Wednesday's game is in question after he recorded a six-out save in the series opener.

"I can't be thinking about tomorrow," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "I've got to do what I've got to do here to win today, and then we're about tomorrow, tomorrow."

The Cubs (88-69) have lost a season-high five in a row.

Nico Hoerner continued his sizzling September by collecting three runs and four hits in the series opener. He is batting .373 with 20 runs this month.

New York will turn to rookie right-hander Jonah Tong (2-2, 5.94 ERA) to start Wednesday against All-Star left-hander Matthew Boyd (13-8, 3.20) for Chicago.

Tong allowed one unearned run on four hits -- all singles -- with eight strikeouts in five innings of a 6-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday. The win came on the heels of a disastrous start in which he yielded six runs on four hits and three walk in two-thirds of an inning in an 8-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Sept. 12.

"We're talking about bouncing back from the last outing, but bouncing back from the first couple of innings and then settling in nicely, that's the guy we saw at the minor league level. ... It was pretty impressive," Mendoza said.

Tong, 22, will make his fifth career start overall and first vs. the Cubs.

Boyd, 34, permitted at least four runs for the fifth time in six outings on Wednesday in a no-decision in an 8-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was fortunate to walk away with a no-decision despite working just three innings.

Boyd significantly was better in his previous encounter vs. the Mets, albeit in a no-decision on May 11. He allowed two runs and struck out eight in six innings in that game and is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in two career meetings with New York.

Four-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker rejoined the Cubs on Tuesday after venturing to Florida to undergo additional treatment on his injured left calf.

"Obviously there's probably a few more boxes I've got to check off before everyone's comfortable with me being out there," Tucker said of his impending return.

He hasn't played since Sept. 2.

--Field Level Media