The Original Game » estand. Four out of six aint bad, Maddon sai

CHICAGO -- Confidence has returned to the Chicago Cubs in the form of what manager Joe Maddon describes as a couple of slices of Meat Loaf. Cheap New Balance Shoes Uk .Anthony Rizzo homered twice off Bartolo Colon, Kyle Hendricks pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and the Cubs beat the New York Mets 6-2 Wednesday to take two of three in the rematch of last years NL Championship Series.After entering the All-Star break on a 6-15 skid, the Cubs have taken four of six from AL West-leading Texas and the Mets, who swept them in last years NL Championship Series.A nice homestand. Four out of six aint bad, Maddon said. Eating Meat Loaf twice, Ill take it.The offbeat Maddon calls winning series eating Meat Loaf, a reference to the singers 1977 hit, Two Out of Three Aint Bad.Weve played six really good games since the break, and thats the part that has really stood out to me, Maddon said.A night after the first four-strikeout game of his big league career, Rizzo pulled a slider to right for a solo homer in the third, a drive that would have traveled 451 feet had it landed at ground level unimpeded, according to MLBs Statcast program.Two innings later with a runner on, he sent a fastball into the right-field bleachers -- estimated at 436 feet by Statcast -- for the 11th multihomer game of his career.If they go out just over the yellow line, its just as good, Rizzo said. But those definitely feel good. I just put good swings on the ball.Rizzo also hit a two-run homer in Mondays victory as the Cubs rebounded from a four-game sweep in New York this month. Chicago has won five of its last seven overall.Its really nice, Rizzo said. Its just what we want to do, keep winning series.Hendricks (9-6) gave up seven hits and hasnt allowed an earned run in his last three appearances. He lowered his ERA to 2.27, third best in the majors behind Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner.It seems to go that way when things are kind of going in your favor, you get away with some bad pitches, Hendricks said. That was really the case today.With the Mets wearing 1986 replica road uniforms, Colon (8-5) allowed allowed six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings while laboring on the warm, humid day Maddon described as Instructional League hot.I think mentally I wasnt all there and I paid the consequences, Colon said through a translator.Manager Terry Collins knew it wasnt Colons day when he walked two in the first inning. That led to Addison Russells two-run double, one of his three hits.There are days I havent seen Bartolo throw 15 balls in five innings, let alone in one inning, Collins said. Certainly uncharacteristic, but but youre going to have blips like that once and awhile.Javier Baez added an RBI single off Antonio Bastardo in a three-run fifth for Chicago.New Yorks Wilmer Flores hit his fifth home run in eight games, a two-run drive off Travis Wood in the eighth.The Mets, resting several starters ahead of a series in Miami, wasted chances.Juan Lagares hit into an inning-ending double play with runners at first and third base in the second. James Loney was thrown out at the plate by Jason Heyward to end the fourth when the center fielder charged Kelly Johnsons single and made a perfect one-hop throw to catcher Miguel Montero, who barely had to move his mitt.The last five or six games Ive pitched, Ive had unbelievable defense and theyre scoring runs, Hendricks said. Thats a good recipe for success and wins.AGE OF BARTOLOThe 43-year-old Colon is 219 days older than Cubs president Theo Epstein.TRAINERS ROOMMets: OF Yoenis Cespedes, who returned Monday from a strained right quadriceps, sat out. Collins said Cespedes is not close to being 100 percent. ... 2B Neil Walker and SS Asdrubal Cabrera also rested.Cubs: CF Dexter Fowler (hamstring) was to begin a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment Wednesday night at Triple-A Iowa.UP NEXTMets: RHP Logan Verrett (3-6) faces Marlins LHP Adam Conley (6-5) on Friday night.Cubs: RHP Jason Hammel (8-5) starts Friday night at Milwaukee and RHP Jimmy Nelson (6-7). New Balance Wholesale Uk . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. New Balance Outlet Uk . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. http://www.newbalanceclearanceuk.com/ .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. BALTIMORE -- It didnt matter to the Colorado Rockies that Chris Tillman was unbeatable at Camden Yards, where the Baltimore Orioles rarely lose regardless of whos on the mound.On Tuesday night, the Rockies emphatically spoiled Tillmans bid to become the first 15-game winner in the majors.Carlos Gonzalez and Trevor Story had two RBI apiece in a four-run third inning, and the Rockies ended Baltimores five-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory Tuesday night.Tillman (14-3) gave up six runs and nine hits in five innings. The right-hander retired six of the first seven batters but needed 89 pitches to get 15 outs.We were patient, Gonzalez said. We had some really good at-bats against him. We know what kind of pitcher he is. He is having a tremendous year, especially here at his park.Tillman was 8-0 at home this season, and Baltimore was unbeaten in his 12 starts at Camden Yards. He permitted a combined four runs over 28 innings in his previous four starts, but in this outing Tillman tied a season high for runs allowed.So what made this start so much different?I think the ball just fell where we werent, he said.After Colorado loaded the bases with one out in the third, Tillman retired Nolan Arenado on a foul popup and was within a strike of getting out of the jam when Gonzalez lined a double into the left-field corner. Story followed with a two-run single for a 4-0 lead.We had the two big at-bats with Cargo and Story. Both with two outs and two strikes, manager Walt Weiss said. Those two at-bats were crucial in the game.Arenado picked up his 78th RBI with a double in the fifth and came home on a wild pitch.Adam Jones hit his 18th homer for Baltimore in the bottom half.The Orioles still own baseballs best home record at 37-15, including 21-4 since the beginning of June.Chad Bettis (9-6) won his third straight start, allowing two runs, four hits and three walks in six innings. Colorado is 8-1 in his last nine outings.They have a lot of guys who can slug it, the right-hander said. You just have to try to work in and out effectively. If you leave tthe ball up, stuff like the Jones home run happens. New Balance Shoes Uk Sale. Rookie Carlos Estevez got three outs for his ninth save.The surging Rockies have won five of six and are 8-4 since the All-Star break.Ive been telling the club all year I felt we were going to get better and better as the year goes on, Weiss said. That hasnt been our history the last few years.SKIDDING DAVISOrioles first baseman Chris Davis went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts and is 0 for 24 with four walks and one RBI since July 17.Hes going through a period where hes not -- stating the obvious -- doing what hes capable of, manager Buck Showalter said. Hell get it going.BAGGAGE CLAIMRockies rookie David Dahl finally got his luggage Tuesday, one day after making a cross-country journey to make his major league debut. He went 1 for 4 Monday night while wearing a glove provided by Mark Reynolds, swinging a bat donated by Daniel Descalso and running in cleats loaned by Story. Dahl started again Tuesday and went 1 for 4.TRAINERS ROOMRockies: RHP Justin Miller (oblique tightness) was scheduled to work one inning in a rehab stint with Triple-A Albuquerque. ... OF Gerardo Parra (ankle) will begin his rehab assignment at Double-A Hartford on Friday. ... LHP Chris Rusin (strained left shoulder) is with the club in Baltimore. Weiss said the lefty checks out physically and a decision on his return will be made shortly.Orioles: OF Hyun Soo Kim (hamstring) was activated off the DL and RHP Ubaldo Jimenez returned from paternity leave. ... Top pitching prospect Hunter Harvey had Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. The 21-year-old was the 22nd overall pick in the 2013 amateur draft.UP NEXTRockies: In the series finale Wednesday night, Jon Gray (6-4, 4.12 ERA) seeks his first road win in five tries since June 5.Orioles: Rookie Dylan Bundy (3-2, 3.30) tries to build on his first career win as a starter. He gave up one unearned run in five innings against Cleveland on Friday. ' ' '