NEW YORK — Dansby Swanson hit a tiebreaking three-run home run and added a grand slam Wednesday, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 10-3 win over the reeling New York Mets in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.
The Cubs trailed 3-0 before tying the game in the fifth inning. Pete Crow-Armstrong singled with two outs against Nolan McLean (4-5) and scored on Michael Conforto’s double before Michael Busch hit a two-run home run off the advertising signage in right field.
Swanson, the No. 9 hitter, launched a two-out, 400-foot blast beyond the left-center-field fence in the sixth inning before hitting a grand slam in the eighth.
Ben Brown joins Edward Cabrera on the IL, further depleting the Chicago Cubs rotation
Swanson also homered Tuesday night and had three home runs and 11 RBIs in the first two games of the four-game series. The series opener Monday was rained out, setting up the Wednesday day-night doubleheader.
The Mets, who are expected to get Francisco Lindor back from the injured list for the nightcap, played without Juan Soto (back) in the opener, suffered their fourth straight loss and fell 11 games under .500, tying a season low. The Mets have been outscored 40-14 during their skid.
Javier Assad (6-1) allowed three runs and five hits in five innings — including back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning to Jared Young and Francisco Alvarez.
McLean allowed six runs and struck out nine in six innings.
The announced crowd of 31,951 included dozens of Norwegian soccer fans adorned in soccer garb in center field. Norway is scheduled to play France in the World Cup on Friday in Foxborough, Mass.
The Norwegians chanted and danced a conga line throughout the game — even as Swanson’s first home run landed a few hundred feet to their left.
