CHICAGO -- Jake Arrieta returned to form for the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.Arrieta pitched seven strong innings, but the Cubs still continued to struggle against the New York Mets in a tense 2-1 loss.Arrieta retired 14 of the first 15 Mets hitters, including 12 straight following Yoenis Cespedes single in the first. He allowed one run and struck out eight in his longest outing since June 11.That was a little more like it, Arrieta said. I was really aggressive in the strike zone and I was using my off-speed pretty much throughout the whole game.Last years NL Cy Young Award winner got back on track after allowing four or more earned runs in three consecutive starts for the first time since 2012.Its good to see Jake pound the strike zone, manager Joe Maddon said. Its a good game for him to build off of. Another closely contested game with these guys. Weve just got to figure out how to score that run late to get on top.Closer Jeurys Familia escaped a bases-loaded jam with a game-ending double play after Rene Rivera drove in the tiebreaking run with two outs in the top of the ninth, lifting the Mets to their fifth victory in six games against the Cubs this season.Familia walked Addison Russell and Miguel Montero to start the ninth. Then Javier Baez reached on a bunt single when third baseman Jose Reyes made a play on a ball that appeared would roll foul. Pinch-hitter Matt Szczur hit a grounder to first baseman James Loney, and Loney threw out Russell at the plate.Kris Bryant then hit into a 5-4-3 double play to give Familia his 33rd save in 33 chances and 49th straight dating to Aug. 1, 2015.Its hard not to chase (Familias pitches) sometime, Maddon said. Hes got a natural sinker and he throws the ball really hard and he can throw ground balls, so give him credit.Rivera had the third single in the ninth -- following hits by Loney and Asdrubal Cabrera -- off Hector Rondon (1-2) as the Mets beat the Cubs in a rematch of in last years NL Championship Series.Hansel Robles (4-3) pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the win.Noah Syndergaard of the Mets also returned to dominant form in a no decision.Syndergaard gave up one unearned run on seven hits through 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight before being replaced by Jerry Blevins after throwing 105 pitches.Syndergaard had his velocity early, reaching 100 mph in the first inning, and was able to escape jams in the first and second. He left in the fifth inning of his previous start, on July 8, with arm fatigue after allowing three runs in a loss to Washington.Overall, it was a great team win, lot of fun to be part of, Syndergaard said. It was great to come in here and squeeze out a win against their ace.Arrieta doubled with two out in the fourth, then was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Michael Conforto when he tried to score on Tommy La Stellas single. At first, Arrieta was ruled safe by umpire Eric Cooper, but he was called out following a video review.RIGHT ANGLEBoth Collins and Maddon loaded their starting lineups with lefties against two of the majors premier right-handed starters.Maddon called out the split against Syndergaard as enormously different. Righties entered hitting .210 against him, lefties were batting .282. Against Arrieta, righties were hitting .182, lefties were at .215.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: All-Star 2B Ben Zobrist batted fourth after getting two days off. ... OFs Dexter Fowler (right hamstring strain) and Jorge Soler (left hamstring strain) had the start of their rehab stints at Triple-A pushed back a day when the Iowa Cubs were rained out. Maddon said both were close to returning, but he didnt know exactly.UP NEXTRHP Bartolo Colon (8-4, 3.11) squares off against Chicago RHP Kyle Hendricks (8-6, 2.41) in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon. Hendricks allowed just three hits in six shutout innings in his last start against Texas on Friday and has a 1.70 ERA in his last 11 outings. Wholesale Nike MLB Jerseys . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. MLB Jerseys China . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Clearance MLB Jerseys . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday.ST. LOUIS -- After finally dialing in his delivery, Lance Lynn kept the Cardinals in the game just long enough. Lynn overcame early control woes and St. Louis used a three-run seventh inning to snap a tie and beat the New York Mets 6-3 on Monday night. "Early on I was just missing and I got a little bit upset with myself and got a little bit out of my game," Lynn said. "I was able to stay in and give my team a chance to win, thats what its all about." Lynn (6-1) allowed three runs on three hits and four walks the first two innings, and manager Mike Matheny said he was often missing to the third-base side of the plate. He only gave up one hit and one walk in his last five innings. He is 4-0 at home this season. It was the Cardinals 10th win in the past 12 games. "That really could have gone bad early on, but he fought his way through it," Matheny said. "Hes a horse." Rick Ankiel, signed by the Mets earlier in the day after clearing waivers and playing against the team that revived his career as a position player, just missed a diving catch on Ty Wiggintons pinch-hit bloop double to shallow centre off Scott Rice (1-3) to open the seventh. Ankiels equipment didnt arrive and couldnt hang onto the ball using pitcher Jonathon Nieses glove. "I do think if I have my glove it stays in there," Ankiel said. "Im the type of person, if I get a glove on it I feel I should have caught it. "I didnt. It stinks." Matt Carpenter followed Wiggintons hit with a sharp grounder off Rices leg and the ball rolled into foul territory down the first-base line. Wigginton never stopped running and his head-first slide barely beat the tag to snap a 3-3 tie. Matt Holliday homered with one out and Yadier Molina had an RBI double with two outs, both off Scott Atchison for the three-run cushion. On his way to third, Wigginton saw catcher John Buck chasing after the ball "and obviously home plate was going to be open. So I took a chance." Wigginton has two consecutive hits as a pinch hitter after a 1 for 12 start. He said the decision to keep running didnt need input from third base coach Jose Oquendo. "The plays in front of me," Wigginton said. "So I believe youre probably your best base coach. To be honest, youre just playing baseball." Mets manager Terry Collins said Rice deflected Carpenters grounder on purpose to keep the ball in the infield, but then joined Buck in the chase to retrieve it and then was late covering the plate. "John was yelling Get the plate, get the plate," Collins said. "Hee was caught up in the moment.dddddddddddd" Atchison has been pitching since last year with a torn elbow ligament, and said after the game that his fingers were numb and tingling during the outing. "If I cant grip the baseball, then I cant make the ball do what I want," Atchison said. "I feel like Ive been managing it pretty good all year. Today, for whatever reason, the tingling came back." Daniel Murphy had three hits with a two-run double for the Mets, busting out of a 7-for-54 slump with one RBI the previous 14 games. The Mets have dropped four straight. Lynn threw a career-high 124 pitches, topping his previous high exactly one year ago in a loss to the Braves. Three relievers worked the last two innings with Edward Mujica earning his 10th save in 10 chances. Lynn threw 54 pitches and Mets starter Jeremy Hefner needed 46 the first two innings in a game tied at 3, a distinct change after three straight days of pitching brilliance. Colorados Jorge De La Rosa carried a no-hitter into the seventh Sunday, the Cardinals Adam Wainwright went 7 2-3 innings before his no-hit bid ended Saturday and St. Louis rookie Shelby Miller retired the final 27 hitters after allowing a leadoff hit on Friday. Three of the first four batters reached against Hefner including Allen Craigs RBI double just inside the third-base line for the lead and Jon Jay added a bases-loaded sacrifice fly that barely counted when Matt Holliday sprinted home just ahead of third baseman David Wrights tag on Craig, attempting to advance on left fielder Lucas Dudas throw. Murphy tied it in the second with a two-run double, a liner that right fielder Carlos Beltran lost running out of the shadows into a patch of sunlight in right. Murphy scored from second on an infield hit after shortstop Daniel Descalso could not handle Wrights slow roller and the ball rolled free. Notes: LHP John Gast makes his major league debut for the Cardinals in place of injured Jake Westbrook on Tuesday night against Dillon Gee (2-4, 5.55). Gast was 3-1 with a 1.16 ERA at Triple-A Memphis and began the year with 32 consecutive scoreless innings. ... Chris Carpenter, all but ruled out for the season in February due to nerve issues in his shoulder, threw another bullpen session Monday and remained on track in his bid to return as a reliever, but theres no specific timetable. "When he puts his mind to something and his body co-operates, we know what kind of talent he has." ... Descalso got his third start at SS for St. Louis. ... Buck struck out three times for a total of 13 the last six games. ' ' '