Pregame Notes: The Chicago Cubs take on the NL East leading New York Mets; Bleachers reopen in left field

Cubs look to right the ship; Bleachers reopen in LF and CF

Maybe a little bit of normalcy can help the Chicago Cubs to get back on track. The left and center field bleachers will reopen for tonight’s contest against the New York Mets, with a showcase pitching matchup. The Cubs’

(2-2, 4.04) takes on the Mets’

(3-3, 2.95).

The Cubs (15-15) are looking to get back above .500 after dropping another series to the last-place Milwaukee Brewers. It won’t be easy as they take on the Mets, who sit atop the NL East. Lester will look to continue his strong May, which has seen him post two wins with an 0.64 ERA.

Lester will be facing the Mets for only the second time in his career, the last was in 2007 as a member of the Boston Red Sox in only his fourth career start. At the plate, the Cubs will need Anthony Rizzo to continue to be an on-base machine, as they need to score as many runs as possible with the way the pen has struggled as of late.

The Mets (20-11) got off to a scorching start, cooled off, and are now back to their winning ways. deGrom is coming off a spectacular rookie season but has struggled on the road so far this year, allowing eight runs in 11 innings of work.

The Mets pen, on the other hand, has been spectacular during their 4-1 stretch, allowing only one run in 18 1/3 innings. The Cubs need to try to get to deGrom early with his struggles on the road and stake an early lead before getting into the bullpen.

Tonight’s contest is scheduled for a 7:05 first pitch. Here are the starting lineups for tonight’s contest: