Cubs edge Mets 6-5 to split series

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (June 3, 2014) - The Daytona Cubs walked their way to a 6-5 win over the St. Lucie Mets on Tuesday at Tradition Field.

Mets pitching issued 10 free passes in the game, including five by starter Domingo Tapia, who only lasted 2 1/3 innings. Four of the walks given up by Tapia ended up scoring.

The Mets churned out 11 hits but could never come up with a big inning. All five of their runs were scored in separate innings. In the fourth, the Mets stranded the bases loaded with one out when Brandon Nimmo and T.J. Rivera both popped out shallow in the outfield.

In the eighth, Rivera popped out to the pitcher with the Mets trailing 6-5 with two outs and the tying run on second.

Stephen Perakslis retired the Mets in order in the ninth to close out the game.

The Cubs salvaged a 2-2 split in the series after the Mets won the first two games.

Tapia walked Pin-Chieh Chen to start the game and Chen came in to score on Dan Vogelbach's two-out single.

The Mets responded in their half of the first when Nimmo doubled and Jairo Perez singled to bring Nimmo home.

The Cubs broke the game open in the third. All seven batters Tapia faced in the inning reached - four on walks and three on singles. Albert Almora singled in Marco Hernandez, who drew a walk to start the inning. Gioskar Amaya singled two batters later to drive in Zeke DeVoss, who Tapia also walked. Jeimer Candelario drew a free pass from Tapia with the bases loaded to bring in another run and make it 4-1.

Tapia was lifted for Julian Hilario, who walked Rock Shoulders on a full count with the bases loaded to force home Dan Vogelbach. Vogelbach got on via a walk. Hilario settled down to get a fly out and a strikeout to get out of the inning down 5-1.

Perez drove in Herrera in the bottom of the third with two outs to cut the deficit to 5-2.

In the fourth, Herrera made it 5-3 when he singled off of Austin Kirk to drive in Phillip Evans.

Vogelbach led off the fifth with a double against Hilario. After a ground out moved him to third, he scored on Jeimer Candelario's grounder to put the Cubs in front 6-3.

Eudy Pina belted a solo homer off of Starling Peralta in sixth to make it 6-4. Nimmo drove in Pina in the eighth with a two-out single to center, but the Mets couldn't score again and fell 6-5.

Peralta pitched four innings of relief, allowing just the Pina home run to earn the win.

Tapia took the loss.

Hunter Carnevale and Chase Huchingson each pitched two innings of scoreless and hitless relief out of the bullpen to keep the Mets in the game.

Nimmo went 3 for 5. Perez was 2 for 5 with two RBIs. Eight of the nine Mets in the lineup had a hit. All nine reached base.

Vogelbach went 2 for 3 with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI for Daytona.

The Mets (33-25) fell 1.5 games behind the Fort Myers Miracle in the Florida State League South Division with 12 games remaining in the first half.

The Mets travel to Dunedin (40-17) which has the best record in the FSL for a four-game series starting Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Catch all the action with the Voice of the Mets Adam MacDonald on www.stluciemets.com.