Swanson’s Four RBIs Power Cubs Past Mistake-Prone Mets

Dansby Swanson put on a masterclass in run production Wednesday night at Citi Field, driving in four runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 10-5 victory over the New York Mets. This wasn’t just a good night at the plate, folks. This was a clinic in situational hitting, and it’s exactly why the Cubs remain legitimate contenders in what’s shaping up to be a genuinely competitive National League.

The Mets came out swinging early, with Francisco Alvarez cranking a solo shot in the second and A.J. Ewing following with a two-run blast to give New York a 3-1 lead. For about thirty seconds, you could sense the momentum tilting toward the home team. Then the Cubs’ offense remembered they had a pulse.

Cubs Exploit Mets’ Defensive Chaos

What followed was textbook Cubs baseball: aggressive base running, timely hits, and the Mets playing backyard ball on defense. Pedro Ramirez’s RBI single in the fourth inning got things rolling, and then Swanson ripped his first hit of the night to drive in Kelly and put Chicago ahead 4-3. By the time the inning ended, the Cubs had scored three runs on four hits and a defensive miscue. The Mets looked lost, and frankly, they never recovered.

Swanson wasn’t done flexing his wrists in the sixth inning, when he ripped a triple to deep center field that scored Ramirez. Later that inning, Matt Shaw’s force play allowed Swanson to score, extending Chicago’s lead to 6-4. But here’s where the Cubs separated themselves from the pretenders: they kept the pedal down in the ninth. Swanson slapped a two-run single that put this game firmly out of reach at 10-5.

Imanaga Steady, Raley a Complete Disaster

The pitching matchup told the real story of this game. Shota Imanaga wasn’t brilliant, allowing four hits and four earned runs over 5.1 innings, but he was solid when it mattered most. He kept the Mets from putting together any sustained offensive threat after the second inning. Meanwhile, Brooks Raley lasted exactly one inning, allowing two hits and two earned runs without recording a single out. That’s not losing. That’s surrendering.

The Mets did their part to make this interesting with four home runs, including Mark Vientos‘ solo shot in the fourth and Bo Bichette‘s blast in the sixth. But you can’t win baseball games by hitting homers and hoping for the best. Somewhere along the way, New York forgot that you need to play defense and get outs, two things they accomplished with all the grace of a wrecking ball on Wednesday night.

Nico Hoerner went 3-for-5 with multiple scoring opportunities, and Pedro Ramirez chipped in three hits and two RBIs as well. The Cubs’ approach was simple: make contact, drive in runners, and don’t beat yourself. The Mets failed at every checkpoint.

This Cubs team is for real. They’re making pitchers throw strikes, capitalizing on mistakes, and doing all the little things required to win ballgames. As for the Mets, they have some serious soul-searching to do. Four home runs should be enough to win most nights. Clearly, it wasn’t Wednesday.