NEW YORK -- Jake Arrieta was not accustomed to this.The NL Cy Young Award winner started his first eight batters with balls.He went to 3-2 counts four times in a 35-pitch first inning, allowing Neil Walkers two-run homer.Its frustrating for me, because I expect a lot more out of myself, he said Saturday night after the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 in Arrietas first regular-season road loss in 14 months.Just after Anthony Rizzo tied the score with a two-run, fourth-inning homer off Bartolo Colon, Travis dArnaud blooped a two-run single in the bottom half that sent the Mets to their third straight win in the four-game series, which ends Sunday.Arrieta (12-3) has lost three times in six starts, giving up four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings against the defending NL champions.Poor performance on my end, he said. Just didnt get the effort my team needed tonight. I needed to be more of a stopper, put a stop to the bleeding.He had been 19-0 in 24 regular-season road starts since losing at St. Louis on May 7, 2015 -- to current teammate John Lackey. Arrieta is the only pitcher since 1913 to win 19 consecutive road decisions. However, he lost Game 2 of last years NL Championship Series at Citi Field.Believe me, were all going to be in for a treat when this all gets straightened out, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. Hes going to look like he did last year.Arrieta said issues with mechanics were overblown.Were spinning our wheels a little bit too much trying to figure out what the solution is, or is there a problem, he said. I just need to pitch better. Thats the bottom line.Rookie Brandon Nimmo walked leading off the first, and Walker sent a 94 mph sinker off the facing of the second deck in right. Walker had been 4 for 28 against Arrieta, including the postseason.He just wasnt throwing as many strikes early in the count as Ive been accustomed to facing him, Walker said. When youre 1-0, 2-1 with everybody, it makes it difficult to use that entire arsenal.With the score 2-2 in the fourth and runners at first and second, dArnaud popped a ball into short center field, in the middle of a triangle formed by center fielder Jason Heyward, second baseman Javier Baez and shortstop Addison Russell. On a full run toward the outfield and with his back to home plate, Baez reached up with his right, bare hand, but the ball glanced off it and fell to the ground as two runs scored. Baez had just entered the game at second base.Colon (7-4) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings, and Ben Zobrist homered off Erik Goeddel in the seventh.Addison Reed struck out Kris Bryant to end the seventh with the potential tying run on second, and then struck out the side in the eighth after Rizzos leadoff single. Jeurys Familia got three straight outs to convert his 44th consecutive save chance, including a major league-leading 28 this season.Chicago lost for the ninth time in 13 games but still has the best record in the major leagues at 51-29. After getting swept in a three-game series at Washington, the Mets can sweep four from the Cubs.We want to finish it off tomorrow, Mets manager Terry Collins said.LOOKING AHEADArrieta is to start Friday at Pittsburgh, putting him in position for a possible start for Collins of the Mets in the All-Star Game at San Diego on July 12.JUST PLAIN LOOKINGPlate umpire Laz Diaz called nine batters out on strikes, including five Cubs. When Baez was called out leading off the ninth, he held out both arms, and Maddon yelled from the dugout.The amorphic strike zone tonight was really difficult for both sides, Maddon said.CUBS ROTATIONRight-hander Adam Warren is to start Wednesday against Cincinnati at Wrigley Field, following Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey. Maddon said Warren could get a start after the All-Star break but because of a July 21 off day, it was unlikely he would go with a six-man rotation two turns in a row.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: RF Chris Coghlan left after three innings because of right ribcage soreness.UP NEXTLHP Jon Lester (9-3) is to start Sundays series final for the Cubs and RHP Noah Syndergaard (8-3) for the Mets. Lester is 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA in three regular-season starts against the Mets but lost last years NL Championship Series opener to Matt Harvey.Air Max 97 Ultra 17 Silver Bullet . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Air Max 97 Factory Outlet . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. http://www.outletairmax97.com/air-max-97-have-a-nike-day.html . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Cheap Nike Air Max 97 China . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Air Max 97/1 For Sale . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice.As expected, July 1 came and brought with it a wave of seemingly nonstop player movement. Actually, before free agency opened, Steven Stamkos re-signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning and we had the blockbuster P.K. Subban-Shea Weber and Taylor Hall-Adam Larsson trades -- then the signings reshaped the landscape. Then everyone basically went on vacation and the offseason newsfeed slowed to a lazy stroll.But not all big signings are made on July 1. Just ask the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Two of their biggest additions last summer were depth forwards Eric Fehr and Matt Cullen, who were signed July 28 and Aug. 6, respectively.[July 1 is] the time you look at your needs and you try to go after free agents who really can help your team, said former Los Angeles Kings general manager Rogie Vachon, who will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 14. But sometimes it doesnt work. Sometimes youre looking for one guy and all of a sudden hes gone and you have to wait until the end of July or even September and training camp ... whenever you can get the players youre really looking for. It doesnt matter what the date is.Heres the short list of players still waiting for the phone to ring who could potentially have a real impact.Sam Gagner, C: The 2007 No. 6 pick hit rock bottom with the Philadelphia Flyers last season. After establishing career lows in goals and points while struggling through a stint in the American Hockey League, Gagner is essentially starting over. Its hard to believe but hes still only 26 and isnt far removed from a 41-point output in 2014-15 with the Arizona Coyotes. So what does a team in search of depth down the middle really have to lose? The numbers dont bear it out, but Gagner did have his moments with the Flyers last season. He made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut, setting up Ryan Whites winner in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Washington Capitals, and enjoyed a run following the All-Star Game in which he collected five goals and nine points in 18 games.James Wisniewski, D: The veteran will definitely be taking a pay cut from the six-year, $33 million deal he signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2011. The Carolina Hurricanes bought out the final year of his contract in June, but at only 32 years old Wisniewski should have something left to offer a team in search of veteran power-play help. A torn left ACL mere seconds into his Hurricanes debut limited Wisniewski to a single game last season. But in 2014-15 split between the Blue Jackets and the Anaheim Ducks, he scored seven power-play goals. The season prior, he ranked ninth in the NHL with 29 power-play points. Considering the importance of special teams, someone could come calling soon enough.Jiri Hudler, RW: Who ranked ninth in NHL scoring in 2014-15? If youre a general manager who correctly answered Jiri Hudler, you might want to consider taking a chance on the Czech forward. Hudler had a dip in production between the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers last season and failed to contribute in six playoff games with the Panthers. Hudler should provide scoring depth at a nice discount. His point prooduction with the Flames in 2014-15 certainly turned some heads, but Hudlers greatest contribution that year might have been his work grooming young prospects Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, who now make up the Flames core.dddddddddddd Hudler shouldnt be labeled a playoff underperformer because of his stint in Florida. He scored eight points in 11 playoff games with the Flames in 2015 and won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Detroit Red Wings in 2008, scoring the winning goal against the Penguins in Game 4 of the Cup finals.Kris Versteeg, RW: Few players offer the big-game experience of this well-traveled winger, who has skated for six different teams in his nine NHL seasons, including two separate stints with the Chicago Blackhawks. Of course, Versteeg completed each of those Chicago tenures by hoisting the Stanley Cup. Even before the deadline deal that sent him to the Los Angeles Kings last season, Versteeg was a helpful mentor on a Hurricanes club teeming with young talent. Versteeg wont be expected to match the 54-point production he showed with the Florida Panthers in 2011-12. And despite joining a talented Kings team eyeing a playoff run, Versteeg never really found chemistry on any one forward line. But his big-game experience could become more attractive as free agency rolls on.Brad Richards, C: Has any remaining free agent done more than Richards? The two-time Stanley Cup champion has played in a whopping 83 playoff games -- and thats just in the past five seasons. Richards statistical disappointment in his lone season with the Wings marked the sixth straight year in which his point-per-game output has dropped. Thats an indisputable decline for a dynamic forward once considered among the NHLs best. But he also provided a much-needed calming veteran presence on a young team transitioning from legendary coach Mike Babcock to his understudy and replacement, Jeff Blashill. No one will be looking to Richards to provide an offensive boost but there isnt a free agent available with more big-game experience. At age 36, hes made it as far as the conference finals five times with four teams. Thats exactly the kind of playoff experience many teams covet.Luke Schenn, D: Teams in search of depth on their blue line could be eyeing the 2008 fifth-overall pick. After struggling with expectations early in his career, the physical defenseman has established himself over the past few seasons. There shouldnt be any more misconceptions about exactly what he provides: a physical presence with limited versatility and no offensive upside. Still, what he does bring could make him a good fit in the right place. That might have been most apparent after Schenn was traded, along with Vincent Lecavalier, to the Kings on Jan. 6. While much of the attention surrounding the deal was on the veteran Lecavalier, Schenn brought his lunchbox with him from Philadelphia, contributing depth and consistency to a Kings defense that desperately needed it. His work on the penalty kill was especially helpful. ' ' '