Mets ride red-hot Murphy to 2-0 NLCS lead

The Chicago Cubs felt pretty good about their chances of earning a split at Citi Field with Jake Arrieta on the mound for Game 2 of the NLCS, but Daniel Murphy and the New York Mets had other ideas.

Murphy homered for the fourth consecutive contest to cap a three-run first inning, as the Mets jumped on Arrieta early and never looked back to secure a 4-1 win Sunday night, and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Top Performer: Murphy's two-run shot in the first put the Mets up 3-0 and also earned him a spot in the team record books. He's the only player in club history to homer in four consecutive playoff games, and his five homers this October move him out of a tie with Rusty Staub, Mike Piazza, and Carlos Delgado for the most homers in a single postseason.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Starting Pitchers: Mets starter Noah Syndergaard was virtually untouchable through his first five innings of work, but he got the hook after yielding an RBI double to Kris Bryant. The rookie right-hander amassed nine strikeouts to join Al Leiter, Dwight Gooden, and Tom Seaver as the only Mets hurlers to strike out nine twice in a postseason.

Arrieta failed to record a quality start for the second consecutive outing as he struggled with his velocity on a cool night in New York. The righty hadn't allowed three runs in the first inning since July 30, 2010 (123 starts), but he appeared to settle in after coughing up another run in the third inning.

Key Moment: Murphy's homer undoubtedly set the tone for the contest, but Syndergaard followed up with four dominant frames to further demoralize the Cubs and prevent them from cutting into the lead. Chicago was held hitless from the second through the fifth inning, and Mets manager Terry Collins didn't hesitate to lift the tiring Syndergaard from the game following Bryant's RBI double in the sixth.

Up Next: The teams will use Monday as a travel day, as the scene shifts to Wrigley Field for the next three games. Cubs manager Joe Maddon will call on righty Kyle Hendricks to stop the bleeding Tuesday, while New York turns to fireballer Jacob deGrom in an attempt to open up a 3-0 series lead