Cubs Settle Debt With Mets, 5-4 : Chicago Finally Wins After 8 Straight Losses to New York

The New York Mets are fighting for the pennant, and the Chicago Cubs are going nowhere, but that wasn’t the only motivation for the Cubs.

Chris Speier’s run-scoring pinch single with two out in the ninth inning Wednesday at Chicago gave the Cubs a 5-4 victory, ending an eight-game losing streak against the Mets.

“We’ve been beat up by the Mets this year,” Chicago Manager Jim Frey said. “That’s no fun, and our ball club doesn’t like it.”

It was only the fourth Chicago victory over the Mets in 17 games.

The defeat dropped the Mets 3 1/2 games behind first-place St. Louis in the National League East with only 10 games remaining. The Cardinals played host to Philadelphia Wednesday night.

Speier’s single in the ninth scored Dave Lopes from third and made a loser of New York reliever Jesse Orosco (6-6).

“He threw me everything he had and I had a good at-bat,” said Speier. “The last pitch, he tried to get a fastball inside.”

Orosco struck out the first two batters in the ninth, then walked Lopes. Lopes moved to second after being picked off by Orosco, sliding in for a stolen base ahead of a throw by Mets’ first baseman Keith Hernandez.

After Lopes stole third, Bob Dernier walked. Speier batted for reliever Lee Smith (7-4), who pitched two hitless innings of relief.

“When you play a pennant-contending team, you get up for it,” Speier said. “They’re playing a pressure-filled situation every day. We’re kind of relaxed.”

New York Manager Dave Johnson said he brought in Orosco because reliever Roger McDowell, who pitched the seventh and eighth innings, had thrown 60 pitches two days before.

“I had confidence in our other stopper,” said Johnson. “If we don’t have more than one guy in the bullpen we’re not going to win this thing, anyway.”

Gary Carter’s sixth-inning grand slam home run, his 31st homer of the season, gave the Mets the 4-1 lead, but the Cubs chipped their way back into a tie with a run in the bottom of the sixth and two in the seventh.

In the first inning, Ryne Sandberg walked and Keith Moreland extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a run-scoring double.

The Cubs nicked Darling for a run in the bottom of the sixth on singles by Dernier and Shawon Dunston and Sandberg’s sacrifice fly, then chased him with a two-run seventh.