Mets Grab Game 1, Host Cubs In Game 2 Tonight

Daniel Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud each homered to back 7 and 2/3 solid innings from Matt Harvey as the Mets took the opener of the NL Championship Series with a 4-2 win over the Cubs at Citi Field on Saturday night.

Harvey struck out nine, giving up four hits and two earned. He also walked two while improving to 2-0 in the playoffs. His 97 pitch outing that lasted into the eighth and was a welcome sight to Mets fans who've heard so much talk about Harvey's innings-limitations in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. He did take a come-back liner off his throwing shoulder in the sixth, but brushed it off and seemed unphased for the rest of his outing.

Harvey was perfect through four before hitting Anthony Rizzo with a pitch to start the fifth. Starlin Castro followed with a laser double that seemed to confuse, then soar over the head of center fielder Juan Lagares. However, 'The Dark Knight' was able to control the damage with some help from the arm of Yoenis Cespedes in left field, who gunned down Castro as he attempted to score when Javier Beaz singled two batters later.

The Cubs other run came with a swing of the sizzling-hot bat of Kyle Schwarber, who smacked his fourth homer of these playoffs. It marked Harvey's final pitch as he exited to a roaring Citi Field crowd.

Murphy's blast, his third consecutive game with dinger, came in the first off Cubs starter Jon Lester. d'Arnaud's blast of Lester came in the sixth, a bullet over the center field wall that bounced off the Mets' home-run apple.

Curtis Granderson added two RBI's, a fifth-inning single that snapped a 1-1 tie, and a sacrifice fly in the seventh to extend New York's lead to 4-1.

Following Schwarber's eight-inning blast of Harvey, closer Jeurys Familia entered for a four-out save opportunity. He allowed a walk in the eighth and a two-out single in the ninth but collected his third save of the playoffs, and 46th of 2015.

Noah Syndergaard pitches for the Mets in Game 2 on Sunday night, opposed by possible Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta.