(Best E Casino) - While the Chicago Cubs are inching closer to home-field advantage for the postseason, the New York Mets are trying to hold on to a slim lead for the National League's final playoff spot. Struggling New York hosts Chicago tonight in the first of four straight games between the teams at Shea Stadium.

The Cubs wrapped up their second straight NL Central title on Saturday, and then posted a 5-1 win over the Cardinals yesterday to improve to 94-60 on the season. One more victory by Chicago, or a loss by the Philadelphia Phillies, will ensure the Cubs home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs.

The Mets, meanwhile, are desperately trying to hold onto the NL Wild Card spot. New York's scuffling bullpen blew a one-run lead on Sunday, getting tagged for four runs in the eighth inning on the way to a 7-6 setback to the Atlanta Braves.

The loss was a damaging one, as the Mets fell 1 1/2 games back of the Phillies for the lead in the NL East, a division New York led by 3 1/2 games on September 10.

Of course, New York led the division last year by seven games with 17 to play before losing the NL East title to the Phils on the final day of the season.

New York also saw its lead in the Wild Card standings dip to just 1 1/2 games over Milwaukee, which beat the Reds on Sunday.

Carlos Delgado and David Wright both homered in Sunday's setback, in which reliever Scott Schoeneweis was charged with the loss. Delgado ended with four hits and three RBI, while Wright scored twice.

However, the Mets bullpen was tagged for four runs and five hits over two innings of work to give New York six losses in its last 10 games.

New York will try to turn things around tonight behind 21-year-old lefty Jonathon Niese.

After allowing five runs in a three-inning major-league debut on September 2, Niese hurled eight shutout frames against the Braves on September 13. He allowed six hits and two walks while fanning seven in posting his first major- league win.

Jason Marquis goes for the Cubs and is 10-9 with a 4.39 earned run average. The right-hander lost last time out versus the Brewers on Wednesday, when he allowed three runs on six hits and five walks over 5 1/3 innings while pitching for the first time in 11 days.

Marquis, 30, hasn't faced the Mets this year and is 5-5 with a 4.45 ERA in 20 games (13 starts) lifetime against them.

He'll follow Ryan Dempster, who extended his career-high in wins for a season to 17 in Sunday's four-run victory over the Cardinals. Dempster gave up just one run on six hits with a strikeout in the win.

Felix Pie had a triple and scored twice for the Cubs, who have won eight of their last 10 games. Casey McGehee went 2-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs in the win.

The Cubs swept a two-game home set versus the Mets back on April 21-22.