Pete Alonso launched yet another homer against the Cubs, and Jeff McNeil hit a tiebreaking shot that sent the New York Mets to a 4-3 victory Wednesday night.
With the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Phil Bickford struck out No. 3 batter Ian Happ to save it for New York.
As the Chicago Cubs chase a playoff spot down the stretch, they'll be glad not to see Alonso anymore.
But it was a costly defeat for Chicago, locked in a crowded National League playoff race. The Cubs lost for just the sixth time in 22 games and fell 2 1/2 games behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central.
Christopher Morel and Seiya Suzuki homered for Chicago, bunched with several teams fighting tooth-and-nail for the league’s final wild card.
Jonathan Araúz added an RBI single and the Mets got strong work from their shaky bullpen to take two of three games from the Cubs, who won their previous six series.
Bickford entered with two on in the ninth and earned his second major league save - first for the Mets since being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash at last week's trade deadline. After a sacrifice bunt by pinch-hitter Nick Madrigal advanced two runners, Bickford threw a called third strike past Morel.
A walk to Nico Hoerner loaded the bases before Happ went down swinging at a 94 mph fastball.
Grant Hartwig (4-1) worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Mets starter David Peterson.
Morel hit Peterson's first pitch off the facing of the second deck in left field for his third career leadoff homer and first this season. Suzuki, who finished a double shy of the cycle, tripled in the second and scored on a passed ball.
Alonso tied it in the fourth with a long two-run homer off starter Kyle Hendricks. The slugger had four home runs and 10 RBIs in the series, giving him 15 homers and 34 RBIs in 27 career games against the Cubs.
McNeil greeted Hayden Wesneski (2-4) with a leadoff homer in the sixth that put the Mets ahead. Abraham Almonte doubled and scored on Araúz's single to make it 4-2.
Alonso became the first Mets player with four 35-homer seasons. He needs one RBI to match Keith Hernandez (468) for most by a first baseman in team history. Alonso has eight home runs in his past eight games against the Cubs.
After an off day, Javier Assad pitches Friday night at Toronto in the opener of a three-game series. The rookie right-hander is 1-2 with a 3.35 ERA in two starts and 18 relief appearances this season. Assad threw five scoreless innings in a start at Toronto last August.
