Mets defeat Cubs 4-2 in Game 1 of NLCS

The Mets scored four earned runs off Cubs left-hander Jon Lester on the way to a  4-2 victory Saturday night in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at Citi Field.

Daniel Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud homered and Curtis Granderson had two RBIs to help back up a strong pitching performance from Mets right-hander Matt Harvey.

Murphy, whose solo shot gave the Mets a 1-0 boost in the first, homered in his third straight postseason game, tying a club record set by Donn Clendenon in 1969.

Harvey pitched four perfect innings before he hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch to open the fifth. Starlin Castro’s RBI double to center field tied the game at 1-1, but Castro was thrown out at home by Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes to prevent the Cubs from scoring the go-ahead run.  

Granderson hit a two-out single to center field with two runners on base in the fifth to put the Mets back on top. Lester gave up a solo shot to d'Arnaud in the sixth, and the Mets added a run on Granderson’s sacrifice fly in the seventh.

That drove Lester from the game. He gave up four earned runs on eight hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

Kyle Schwarber’s solo shot off Harvey in the eighth cut the Mets’ lead to 4-2 and ended Harvey’s night. Harvey allowed two earned runs on four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings.