New York Mets

          Series preview: Mets vs. Cubs

          Steven Matz will get the start in Thursday's series opener against the Cubs after he was bumped back a day to give him extra rest. Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports

          NEW YORK METS (40-37, third place/NL East) vs. CHICAGO CUBS (51-26, first place/NL Central)

          Thursday: LHP Steven Matz (7-3, 3.29 ERA) vs. RHP John Lackey (7-4, 3.29), 7:10 p.m. ET

          Friday: RHP Jacob deGrom (3-4, 2.67) vs. RHP Jason Hammel (7-4, 2.58), 7:10 p.m. ET

          Saturday: RHP Bartolo Colon (6-4, 2.86) vs. RHP Jake Arrieta (12-2, 2.10), 7:15 p.m. ET

          Sunday: RHP Noah Syndergaard (8-3, 2.49) vs. LHP Jon Lester (9-3, 2.03), 1:10 p.m. ET

          CUBS SHORT HOPS

          • Manager Joe Maddon is always pushing the envelope in terms of ingenuity. Three different pitchers manned left field during Tuesday’s win against the Cincinnati Reds. Left-hander Travis Wood and right-hander Spencer Patton alternated between the mound and outfield in the 14th inning to ensure proper matchups.

          • The Cubs have withstood the losses of outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Dexter Fowler to injuries. Schwarber suffered full tears to a pair of ligaments in his left knee in an April 7 collision with Fowler. Schwarber subsequently underwent season-ending surgery. The Cubs placed Fowler on the disabled list last week with a sore right hamstring.

          • Chicago reacquired Chris Coghlan from the Oakland Athletics June 9.

          • Kris Bryant's 21 homers are one shy of Adam Duvall’s National League lead. Bryant’s versatility has been a major asset. He has started 44 games at third base, seven games in right field and three games at first base. That has allowed the Cubs to carry three catchers: Miguel Montero, David Ross and rookie Willson Contreras, who had actually started four straight games in left field through Tuesday.

          • Ben Zobrist forged his reputation with his versatility, but he has been a staple at second base this season while batting .299 with 10 homers and 42 RBIs. The Cubs signed Zobrist to a four-year, $56 million deal in December. He chose Chicago despite a comparable offer from the Mets.

          • The Mets won’t get any type of pitching reprieve during the four-game series. They miss Cubs No. 5 starter Kyle Hendricks (who improved to 6-6 with a 2.76 ERA on Wednesday).

          • Anthony Rizzo has a 10-game hitting streak. He is hitting .444 (16-for-36) with four homers and nine RBIs and has a .523 on-base percentage during that stretch.

          • Lackey signed a two-year, $32 million contract in December. He reunited with former Boston Red Sox teammate Lester. The consensus is that Lackey’s presence makes Lester better.

          • The Cubs went 7-0 against the Mets during the regular season in 2015. The Mets then swept the Cubs in the National League Championship Series.

          • The Cubs reached 50 wins in their 76th game. That was their quickest to that plateau since 1918, when they opened the season 50-21.

          METS SHORT HOPS

          • Matz's start was bumped back a day to give him extra rest. He is trying to pitch through a bone spur in his pitching elbow that will need to be removed during the offseason.

          • Curtis Granderson has been out of the starting lineup twice since Sunday because of a mild right calf strain.

          • Alejandro De Aza's days with the Mets may be numbered. He is hitless in his last 13 at-bats and 2-for-his-last-36.

          • Jose Reyes is 1-for-13 in the minors since signing on Saturday. He will be promoted to play third base once he demonstrates he is sharp.

          • Juan Lagares began a rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Binghamton and could be activated within days. Lagares is trying to play through a partially torn ligament in his left thumb.

          • The Mets went a season-high 23 innings without scoring until James Loney’s two-run homer in the ninth inning Tuesday at Nationals Park. They trail first-place Washington by a season-high-matching six games in the NL East.