CHICAGO (AP) — Albert Almora Jr. spent most of the night watching from the dugout. Once he entered the game, he sure did make an impact.
Almora homered and drove in a career-high six runs after coming off the bench in the seventh inning, and the Chicago Cubs routed the New York Mets 17-5 on Wednesday.
Javier Baez also went deep and had four hits for the Cubs, who matched a season high for runs after pouring on 12 over their final three at-bats. They have outscored the Mets 25-8 the past two games.
It’s just what the NL Central leaders needed after managing only three runs in a weekend sweep by Milwaukee that tightened the division race. Chicago remained 2 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers and moved three up on St. Louis.
“As a competitor, this is what we want to be in,” Almora said. “Last year, I’m not complaining. ... But every game means something.”