Lindor's late HR, Canning's birthday gem secure Mets' happy Mother's Day

NEW YORK -- It was Mother’s Day on Sunday, all right, but it was also Griffin Canning's 29th birthday – and he was living large at Citi Field. The Mets right-hander pitched one of his best games of the season, and though he was left with a no-decision, he’ll be the first to say that’s all right, because the Mets wound up defeating the Cubs, 6-2.

New York broke the 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth off Chicago reliever Porter Hodge. It started with Francisco Lindor, who swung at a 3-1 sweeper and hit his ninth homer of the season to give the Mets a one-run lead.

Lindor showed some emotion rounding the bases -- almost as if he'd helped the Mets win the World Series. But he had his wife, mother and sisters on his mind on this special day.

"It was the moment,” Lindor said. “Sometimes [the emotions] come out. Sometimes [they don't]. I wanted that at-bat. I wanted to get on base and make something for the boys [behind me]. … I wasn’t trying to hit a home run. I was just trying to get a quality at-bat. Let the big boys do what they do.”

Two batters later, the Mets kept the pedal down, as Pete Alonso scored the fourth run for New York on a double by Mark Vientos.

Cubs right-hander Gavin Hollowell then entered out of the Chicago bullpen and allowed a two-run homer to Brandon Nimmo to put the game on ice for the home team.

"We have a really good lineup. The coaches continue to prepare us the right way -- day in and day out,” Lindor said. “We do a good job of talking in the dugout. It feels good to have that feeling that anybody [on the team] can get it done.”

The late offensive explosion didn't take away from Canning's great outing, as he was dealing from the start, striking out the first three hitters. By the time his outing ended after six innings, Canning retired 18 of the 21 he faced. His only blemish was allowing a sixth-inning solo homer to Pete Crow-Armstrong.

"I felt pretty good with everything," said Canning. "It was a full mix of pitches from the get-go."

It looked like Canning was on the verge of earning his sixth win of the season after Vientos gave New York a 2-1 lead with a sixth-inning solo homer off Matthew Boyd. But the Mets lost the lead in the top of the seventh inning when reliever Reed Garrett allowed an RBI double to Nico Hoerner.

"He had everything going today. It started with the fastball, especially at the top to get swings-and-misses,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We [also] know how good the slider and the changeup are. All three pitches were in complete control of the game.”

Canning improved to 5-1 with a 2.36 ERA in eight starts on the season. It’s the antithesis of what he went through with the Angels last year, when he finished 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA in 32 games (31 starts) -- his first full season after a few years' worth of injury setbacks.

A change of scenery has done a world of good for Canning.

"I fit in well with the guys over here [in New York]. It’s always fun going out there, trying to win and playing for the team," Canning said. “Everyone -- on and off the field -- has been really helpful.”

While he was pleased to put together a solid outing on his birthday, he was ecstatic that his mother Julie was in attendance.

And guess what? Sunday was her birthday as well. Julie traveled from California to celebrate with her son.

"I was happy she was able to come out -- excited,” Canning said.