NEW YORK _ Allow home runs to the first two batters of the game? Lose your second baseman to a dastardly looking leg injury? Take out your starter after just 58 pitches? Have to use another pitcher as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded because you're short of players?
The Mets scoffed at all of that Wednesday night. They rallied from an injury to Neil Walker, an ineffective and short start by Matt Harvey and an early three-run deficit to beat the Cubs, 9-4, before 34,566 at Citi Field.
Curtis Granderson gave the Mets their first lead when he led off their five-run eighth inning with a home run into the right-field corner. Granderson was rewarded with a curtain call after his seventh home run of the season and 300th of his career.
The Mets, who have won five of six, expanded their lead later in the inning when Lucas Duda _ who entered the game after Walker got hurt _ hit a three-run homer to right.
The home team's fun didn't stop there as the Mets batted around. T.J. Rivera drove in the final run with the last of three consecutive singles following Duda's blast.
The Mets lost Walker in the third inning when the second baseman pulled up while racing to try to beat out a bunt. Walker never made it to the bag as he grabbed his left leg in pain in the hamstring area and went down.
The Mets later announced Walker had suffered a "left leg injury" and would have an MRI Thursday.
Harvey, who threw five shutout innings but needed 104 pitches in his last outing, didn't take long to give up his first run Wednesday. Anthony Rizzo hit his first pitch for a home run to left-center field. Rizzo also homered leading off Tuesday's game against Zack Wheeler.
The Cubs made it 2-0 against Harvey when the next batter, Ian Happ, hit a home run into the visiting bullpen in right-center.
The Mets got a run back in the second when third baseman Kris Bryant dropped Jose Reyes' two-out grounder while transferring to throw for a run-scoring error.
Harvey settled in for a time after Happ's homer, retiring 10 of the next 11 batters before John Jay singled with one out in the fourth. Kyle Schwarber followed with a massive 467-foot, two-run home run over the Shea Bridge in right-center to give the Cubs a 4-1 lead.
Harvey retired the next two hitters on grounders and exited the inning having thrown only 58 pitches. The Mets did not announce during the game whether Harvey was removed because of injury.
Harvey, who allowed four runs and four hits with one walk and struck out five, has given up 16 home runs in 701/3 innings.
Down by three runs with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth, Terry Collins sent out Steven Matz, and not Yoenis Cespedes or Michael Conforto, to bat for Harvey against left-handed starter Mike Montgomery.
Matz made his manager look good by beating out a grounder to deep shortstop for an RBI single. Juan Lagares followed with a sacrifice fly to pull the Mets to within 4-3.
Conforto and Cespedes both pinch hit later in the game.
Lagares cracked a two-out RBI triple to center in the seventh to tie it at 4. The relievers after Harvey _ Paul Sewald, Fernando Salas, winner Jerry Blevins (4-0) and Addison Reed _ threw five shutout innings.
