CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo kept fouling the ball off, over and over again. When Steven Matz finally blinked, Rizzo capitalized with one mighty swing.Rizzo hit a three-run homer, Jon Lester pitched 7 2/3 innings and the Chicago Cubs stopped an eight-game losing streak against the New York Mets with a 5-1 victory on Monday night in a rematch of last years NL Championship Series.With one out and two on in the third inning, Rizzo fouled off five straight 2-2 pitches before driving a changeup deep into the bleachers in right-center for his 22nd homer.It was 2-2 for a while there. I dont think he wanted to go 3-2, Rizzo said. He was making good pitches and I was just fighting them off. Just try to grind at-bats, thats what were so good at doing.The crowd of 41,353 cheered wildly as Rizzo rounded the bases on a picturesque night at Wrigley Field. The All-Star slugger is batting .339 with three homers and 10 RBI in July.Hes the anchor of the whole group. Theres no question about it, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.Matz (7-6) blamed himself for poor execution.You really want to grit your teeth and beat this guy, he said. Unfortunately, he won.The last time the Mets visited the iconic neighborhood ballpark, they finished off a sweep of the Cubs to advance to the World Series. They swept Chicago again in New York from June 30 to July 3, roughing up Lester for one of the wins.This time around was much different.Lester (10-4) allowed one run -- Wilmer Flores leadoff homer in the seventh -- and four hits in his first win in a month. David Ross added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Albert Almora Jr. singled in Matt Szczur in the eighth as the NL Central leaders won for the fourth time in five games since dropping five in a row.We were able to get some quick outs with some well-located fastballs and some well-located cutters, Lester said, so that was huge for us tonight.Hector Rondon replaced Carl Edwards Jr. with two runners on in the ninth and got Travis dArnaud to bounce into a game-ending double play for his 16th save.Matz was charged with four runs and eight hits in five-plus innings. The rookie left-hander dropped to 0-5 in his last nine starts.Even though I thought he threw the ball fine, he didnt have his real Grade-A stuff, manager Terry Collins said. But he battled the best he could.Matz nearly had another run on his line, but left fielder Yoenis Cespedes cut down Willson Contreras with a perfect throw to the plate when the rookie tried to score from second on Szczurs third-inning single.BREAK FOR ZOBRISTCubs second baseman Ben Zobrist rested for the second straight day. Maddon picked Sunday for a day off for the All-Star, and then decided to give him another day of rest.He told me yesterday that he wanted to give me two in a row, Zobrist said. I think it will be good to be able to stay off my feet a little bit and try and get caught up. Just didnt feel like the break kind of helped me get caught up as much as I wanted it to.The 35-year-old Zobrist started at second in the All-Star Game. He is batting .277 with 13 homers and 47 RBI in his first season with the Cubs.TRAINERS ROOMMets: RHP Matt Harvey had season-ending thoracic outlet surgery in St. Louis. ... RHP Jim Henderson (biceps) is throwing 91 to 93 mph during his rehab stint at Triple-A Las Vegas, and Collins said the reliever is nearing a return.Cubs: OFs Dexter Fowler (right hamstring strain) and Jorge Soler (left hamstring strain) were traveling to Iowa and are expected to begin their rehab stints with the Triple-A club on Tuesday. Fowler could return to the Cubs by the end of the week. That would be the optimal situation, Maddon said.UP NEXTAll-Star RHPs Noah Syndergaard of the Mets and Jake Arrieta of the Cubs face off on Tuesday. Syndergaard (9-4, 2.56 ERA) was removed from last start on July 8 due to arm fatigue. I think the rest has been good for him, Collins said. Arrieta (12-4, 2.68 ERA) is looking to get back on track after allowing four or more earned runs in three consecutive starts for the first time since 2012. Cheap Nike Shoes Online . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Nike Shoes Clearance Sale Online .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. http://www.cheapnikeshoesonline.com/ . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. Wholesale Nike Shoes China . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Cheap Nike Shoes Wholesale China . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good.Ronny Deilas future as Celtic manager hinges on the result of the Scottish Cup semi-final with Rangers, according to former Hoops full-back Mark Wilson. Wilson, the scorer of the only goal when the Old Firm last met in the Scottish Cup five years ago, feels Celtic are narrow favourites for the Hampden Park showdown, but he also believes Rangers successful season will lose some of its shine if they lose on Sunday.Ronny would go a long way to keeping his job if he wins this game, says Wilson, who spent six-and-a-half years at Parkhead. Some of the doubters hes had all season would slowly start to turn in his favour again, another double would be on the cards, and hed go a long way towards securing his job in the summer. If he loses it, hes only got one trophy, and it doesnt look good for him next year. The two managers are under the same pressure, but for different reasons. If Mark Warburton loses the game, the wind will be knocked out of the sails of Rangers and their fans, because its been a success story [this season]. Theres a real belief amongst Rangers fans that this team can challenge Celtic, so Rangers would go into the remaining weeks of the season deflated. Rangers manager Mark Warburton added the Petrofac Training Cup to the Scottish Championship title on Sunday For Ronny Deila, its been a very different season. Hes been scrutinised at every turn, and in the big games hes come up short for Celtic this season - and theres no bigger game than the Old Firm. Hes won one already but the gap between the two teams isnt as wide as it was last year. For Ronny Deila to lose this, hed have a lot of Celtic fans on his back again - and that brings a lot of pressure.Deilas Celtic eased past Rangers 2-0 in last seasons League Cup semi-final at Hampden last January, when the Ibrox club were under the temporary charge of Kenny McDowall. On that day, Rangers failed to register a shot on goal, but Wilson expects a far closer encounter in Sundays game, which is exclusively live on Sky Sports.Can you ever pick a winner in an Old Firm game? says Wilson. Last year, there was a huge gap between the teams and everybody knew there was only an outside chance of Rangers getting anything from Celtic, and thats the way it panned out. But in previous Old Firm games, you could never pick a winner and Im the same this year. Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths scores in his clubs League Cup win over Rangers last February I know a division separates them, but its going to be very tight. Celtic are favourites because they are top of the Premiership, but sometimes that goes out of the window in Old Firm games, so its very difficult to pick a winner in this one.The form this season for Celtic has been up and down. Against Hearts, they were good in patches but Hearts controlled the ball in the first half, scored first and put Celtic under a bit of pressure. Then they went to Dundee and dropped points; Rangers played Dundee in the last round and ran all over the top of them. I dont think theres a big difference between the teams.With just five games left, Celtic tightened their grip on the Premiership title race over the weekend. Saturdays 2-1 win at Motherwell, following Aberdeens defeat to Hearts on Friday evening, has given Deilas team an eight-point lead over their nearest rivals, added to a far superior goal difference. Despite that advantage, Wilson is not convinced Celtics manager knows which players he will pick for the semi-final. Leigh Griffiths scores his first goal in Celtics 2-1 win at Motherwell All the way through the season, I dont think Ronny Deila has been certain of his best eleven, added Wilson. Too often this season, hes chopped and changed. I think in recent weeks were starting to get a wee look at what he may be thinking because he went into the Hearts game with a strong team and for that Dundee game, he only made one change.Itll be interesting to see if he plays Patrick Roberts, I think he might have a big say. Hes been impressive in recent weeks and he might pose a threat for Rangers, but Deilas got that many good players, its difficult to pick an eleven. It does sometimes cause uncertainty; for me as a player, I wouldnt really like that, I wouldnt like to be playing one week and not even know if Im going to be stripped the next week, so it can be to Celtics downfall. Its great when you have a big squad, but when youre chopping and changing every week, you dont get that consistency.If youre Mark Warburton, youre working with a tight squad, and I think we all know when we see Rangers, pretty much what their eleven is going to be. Defender Erik Sviatchenko is a major doubt for Sundays Scottish Cup tie Defender Erik Sviatchenko is a major doubt for Celtic with a thigh injury, which caused him to miss the win over Motherwell. If he fails to recover, the central defensive partnership of Dedryck Boyata and Charlie Mulgrew looks set to continue, and Wilson feels the experience and strength in depth Deila can call upon is a significaant advantage for Celtic.ddddddddddddOf all the signings Ronny Deila has made, Sviatchenko looks to be one of the strongest, said the 31-year-old, who has been a free agent since leaving Dumbarton last summer. He looks comfortable on the ball and looks to be a good defender, and thats a position Celtic have had problems with all season. The other option is Charlie Mulgrew, who I think is an outstanding centre half for Celtic, especially on that left side, so they have got cover there, but I think Ronny Deila would prefer to play Sviatchenko.Celtic can play a number of ways; theyve got a bit of physical presence and if things arent going their way, they can change it a bit. Theyve got a big squad so they can bring guys off the bench who can make the difference. Rangers, as nice as they are to watch, can really only play one way. Mark Warburtons got it installed in them that they play out from the back and play nice neat progressive football, but if thats not happening for them, what will they turn to?In these games, drawing on experience is always vital. In the Rangers squad, theres not a lot of players with Old Firm experience. Kenny Miller knows what its all about, and Im sure hell be telling his team-mates - make a fast start; if you start slow, the game can be over within 10 or 15 minutes. Wilson believes Rangers striker Kenny Millers experience will be vital against Celtic Rangers like to play football but I think itll be a battle, first and foremost. Ive heard Mark Warburton saying that its just another game of football; in my experience, its not just a normal game of football, its something extraordinary and thats why were all looking forward to it!Wilson won eight major honours with Celtic, including two Scottish Cups in 2007 and 2011. The latter was secured following a tumultuous fifth-round replay win over Rangers. After a sensational first game had finished 2-2 at Ibrox, Wilsons match-winning goal in the replay was largely forgotten amid chaotic scenes, as three Rangers players were sent off and Neil Lennon clashed on the touchline with Ally McCoist.The Ibrox tie was one of my favourite games in a Celtic shirt, said Wilson. The build-up was huge to it, and everything was on the line, it was such a tense occasion. El Hadji-Diouf had come to Rangers and was the cheerleader for the crowd, with Celtic fans hating him and Rangers fans loving him.We didnt start well - Rangers raced into the lead and we got a man sent off. In the second half, we came out and had a real go, Rangers went deeper and deeper which was a surprise, and we were by far the better team. Broony scored that wonderful goal and produced his questionable celebration... it was just a remarkable occasion. We came into the dressing room after thinking it couldve been even better.The replay just turned into carnage, right from the off. Tensions were high; there were all sorts of things going on down on the touchline. Whittaker was sent off, Bougherra was sent off, and it was an amazing game. I scored and everyone forgot! I think it was overshadowed by what was going on at the touchline; everyone says to me they remember the game, but who scored? I can tell my sons it was me, one day when we look back on it. Mark Wilson wheels away to celebrate scoring his goal for Celtic v Rangers in 2011 When you know youve made so many people happy, its a remarkable feeling. Running away of course, I didnt know what to do or where to celebrate, so I just kept running until somebody stopped me! It was a special night for me.Those ties were two of seven encounters between Rangers and Celtic in the 2010-2011 season, with the teams meeting three times in both cup competitions, and four times in the league as they fought an engrossing battle which went to the final day. Since then, there have been just five Old Firm games in five seasons, and only one since 2012, following Rangers financial implosion and subsequent journey back up from the bottom of the Scottish league ladder.Warburtons side secured the Championship title and promotion back to the top flight last week, guaranteeing the return of league games between the sides next season. Wilson, for one, cannot wait for the resumption of regular hostilities.Its great. I dont think we appreciated what we had that season with the seven games. I remember reading at the time, people saying it was boring having seven games, but how could you ever get bored of that atmosphere beamed all round the world? Frantic games of football, genuine interest in our game in Scotland. And thats what Rangers are bringing back to the league, and in this cup tie.Theres genuine interest from around the world, people are coming from everywhere to watch this fixture, and its fantastic that were going to have three or four next year. Lets appreciate what weve got. People cant wait for it, I certainly cant wait for it, and its just a great occasion for Scottish football.Watch the Glasgow derby on Sky Sports 2 HD from 11am this Sunday.By purchasing a Sky Sports Day Pass for £6.99 or Sky Sports Week Pass for £10.99, you can enjoy access to all seven Sky Sports channels and watch on a TV with a NOW TV Box or on a range of devices. Also See: McCann on Rangers v Celtic New pitch for Hampden Griffiths focus on Rangers Motherwell 1-2 Celtic ' ' '
