NEW YORK -- A sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series last fall sent the New York Mets to the World Series for the first time in 15 seasons. But the Cubs are the team that looks ready to return to the NLCS -- and perhaps end a far longer drought -- as the two teams prepare for a four-game series that begins Thursday night at Citi Field.The Cubs arrived in New York fresh off a 9-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds that capped a three-game sweep at Great American Ball Park. The sweep snapped the longest skid of the season for Chicago, which lost six of seven prior to facing the Reds.This was a good series for us, said Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who hit a three-run inside-the-park homer Wednesday.The Cubs have had a lot of good series this year. Chicago, which is looking to reach the World Series for the first time since 1945 and win it all for the first time since 1908, is now a baseball-best 51-26, with a mammoth run differential -- plus-170 -- that suggests ot should have five or six more wins.The Mets, meanwhile, continued to spiral downward Wednesday with a 4-2 loss to the Washington Nationals. The loss capped a three-game sweep at the hands of the Nationals, who extended their lead over the Mets from three to six games.The loss ended a 2-5 road trip for the Mets, who were outscored 35-20 by the Nationals and Atlanta Braves. New York, which blew an early 4-0 lead in Mondays opener against the Nationals, went 23 straight innings without scoring until James Loney hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning Wednesday.Were just not giving ourselves chances, Mets manager Terry Collins said. We just cant give our pitchers any room to work.At 40-37, New York is the closest it has been to .500 since April 24, though it is still only a half-game behind the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the NLs second wild card.Theyre struggling lately and theyre banged up, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. It is different (than last year) for both teams.The series opener Thursday begins an 11-game homestand for the Mets that could dictate the direction the rest of their season takes. After the Cubs exit Sunday, the Mets host the Marlins for three games and the Nationals for four games.Weve still got 11 before the All-Star Break, Collins said. Weve just got to go play them.Mets left-hander Steven Matz is scheduled to start Thursday against Cubs right-hander John Lackey. Matz is pitching through a bone chip in his right elbow and got an extra day of rest after struggling last Friday, when he was staked to an eight-run lead but allowed six runs over 4 1/3 innings and was lifted before he could qualify for the win in the Mets 8-6 victory over the Braves.Lackey will be looking to bounce back from his worst start of the season. He took the loss last Saturday, when he gave up seven runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Cubs fell to the Marlins, 9-6. Stitched Notre Dame Jerseys . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. Cheap Notre Dame Jerseys Authentic .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. http://www.cheapnotredamejerseys.com/?tag=notre-dame-lebron-james-college-jersey . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Cheap Notre Dame Gear . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Notre Dame Jerseys From China .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. What happened last night that you need to know about? Joe McDonald gives us his take on the biggest and best performances. This is where we say, Morning, Joe.Jets have guts: While all eyes were on the Winnipeg Jets Patrik Laine playing his first game against his childhood idol Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals -- if they werent on?the hyped showdown between Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews in Toronto, that is -- the bigger picture here is the Jets. Despite a 3-2 loss to the Capitals at MTS Centre in Winnipeg, the Jets provided a gutsy performance, which is becoming the norm. They dropped to 4-6-0 but again proved theres no quit in them. Trailing 2-0 late in the third period, the Jets Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry each scored to tie the game. Scheifeles goal was a perfect example of this team not throwing in the towel. Captain Blake Wheeler had the puck along the boards in the offensive zone with a defender bearing down. Wheeler protected the puck, kept his legs moving and passed the puck to Scheifele, who beat Capitals goalie Braden Holtby. Lowrys goal in the waning minutes was also a highlight-reel goal, but the Capitals Jay Beagle scored with 30 seconds remaining in regulation to stun the Jets. Winnipeg is a fun team to watch, and you can expect this type of effort for the remainder of the season with its great mix of veterans and youth. These teams play again on Thursday in D.C.Rangers on a roll: If youre looking for a team that showcases depth throughout the lineup, look no further than the New York Rangers. They are 7-3-0 and lead the NHL with 40 goals after Tuesdays 5-0 win over the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault is rolling four llines and getting contributions from nearly everyone.dddddddddddd But it starts with goaltending. Veteran Henrik Lundqvist?again proved he is extra motivated in a 35-save performance against the Blues, his 60th career shutout and his best game of the season. Offensively, the Rangers got goals from five players. Forward Chris Kreider, who missed four consecutive games with neck spasms, had two assists. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock called his teams loss a real eye-opener because the Rangers are proving to be a complete team with the ability to expose opponents weaknesses. Oh, by the way, Rangers rookie Jimmy Vesey had a three-point night, including his sixth goal of the season. He now has nine points in 10 games and is a plus-5.Rask up to the task: During their recent three-game losing skid, the Boston Bruins were without No. 1 goaltender Tuukka Rask, who was sidelined with an undisclosed injury. In his second game back, the veteran made 33 saves en route to a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers?on Tuesday night at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. He nearly posted his second consecutive shutout, but the Panthers scored with 4:35 remaining. During his brief absence, the Bruins showed just how vulnerable they are without their best goalie. Rask has not allowed more than one goal in four of his five starts this season. Backup Anton Khudobin remains sidelined with an upper-body injury, so Boston needed to dip into its development system in the AHL, but Malcolm Subban and Zane McIntyre struggled in those three games. It was another sign of Rasks importance to this team. Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Baseball Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys China Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap Custom Jerseys China Cheap Basketball Jerseys Authentic NFL Jerseys China Cheap College Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys ' ' '