New York Mets

          Morning Briefing: One more win and Mets are World Series bound

          CHICAGO --

          FIRST PITCH: Who saw this coming?

          The New York Mets and Kansas City Royals each moved within a game of reaching the World Series with victories on Tuesday.

          The Amazin's now own a 3-0 series lead over the Chicago Cubs.

          The Mets could become the third team in MLB history to sweep a National League Championship Series in four games, joining the 1995 Atlanta Braves and 2007 Colorado Rockies, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

          Overall, of the 34 teams that have won the opening three games of a best-of-seven series, all but one ultimately has prevailed. The lone exception came when Theo Epstein's Boston Red Sox rallied against the New York Yankees en route to exorcising Fenway Park demons.

          "It's been done before," Epstein noted postgame Tuesday.

          The Mets can close out the NLCS when they send rookie left-hander Steven Matz to the mound against Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel on Wednesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET.

          Matz has only pitched in one major league game since Sept. 24. He allowed three runs in an 85-pitch effort spanning five innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers last Tuesday.

          "I was able to get two bullpen sessions in, so I feel ready to go," Matz said.

          Matz has started his team's championship clincher in the minors the past two years. That included taking a no-hitter one out into the eighth inning on Sept. 12, 2014, as Double-A Binghamton won its first Eastern League title in 20 years.

          WEDNESDAY'S NEWS REPORTS:

          • Yoenis Cespedes scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch on what should have been an inning-ending strikeout against Michael Conforto and the Mets ultimately beat the Cubs, 5-2, in Game 3 on Tuesday. Daniel Murphy matched Carlos Beltran's 2004 major league record by homering in a fifth straight postseason game. Murphy's sixth postseason homer snapped a tie with Mike Piazza for the most in a career in the postseason in franchise history. Murphy has six straight postseason games with a hit, RBI and run scored. The major league record belongs to Lou Gehrig, who did it in seven games from 1928 to 1932. Jacob deGrom again overcame a high early pitch count and fastball command issues and gutted through seven innings to improve to 3-0 this postseason. Read game recaps in the Post, Daily News, Times, Journal, Newsday, Record and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

          • Columnist Joel Sherman in the Post asserts that the Mets are insulated from collapsing like the 2004 Yankees because the Amazin's have a stable of top-tier pitchers.

          • Columnist John Harper in the Daily News suggests the Mets are outplaying the Cubs in every facet of the game.

          • Columnist Mike Vaccaro in the Post writes regarding the Cubs: "After 107 consecutive years of heartache, this is the familiar part of the season, the end approaching, the winter beckoning."

          • Columnists Jayson Stark at ESPN.com and Ken Davidoff in the Post revisit the crazy sixth inning that included Lucas Duda bunting, Cespedes stealing third base and Conforto's run-scoring strikeout.

          • Columnist David Lennon in Newsday salutes Murphy's October contribution.

          • Columnist Bob Klapisch in the Record offers this advice: "It's impossible to root against the Mets now. Forget about the Wilpons, forget about the money. You might as well ride shotgun with the Mets for the rest of October."

          • Columnist Tara Sullivan in the Record discusses the Mets being on the brink of the World Series.

          • Jim Buzinski at OutSports.com remains less than enthralled by Murphy's spring-training comments about homosexuality.

          • Scott Boras has taken out insurance on Matt Harvey in case his 2015 innings workload has a harmful effect on his career. Read more in the Times.

          • The amount the Wilpon family, their charities and businesses owe to the trustee recovering funds for victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme is down to $60.6 million.

          • Marc Carig in Newsday looks at the possibility that Murphy gets a $15.8 million qualifying offer from the Mets, who then would recoup a draft pick if he signs elsewhere.

          • Kevin Clark in the Journal speaks to bandwagon Mets fans.

          • Read more on deGrom's outing in Newsday and the Daily News.

          • Read more on Cespedes' contribution in Newsday and the Daily News.

          • Read more on Matz's Game 4 start in Newsday.

          • From the bloggers … Mets Report believes Game 3 was all about deGrom, not Murphy.

          BIRTHDAYS: Daniel Herrera turns 31.

          TWEET OF THE DAY:

          YOU'RE UP: Is there any way the Mets can blow a 3-0 series lead?