Going into the Mets’ matinee with the Cubs, things were bleak. The Mets lost eight straight, the bats were dead, and the starting pitching has been inconsistent.
Well, things got worse, and the Mets dropped their ninth straight, losing to the Cubs 12-4.
The Mets managed to make fairly good contact off of Cubs starter Edward Cabrera, but were only able to break through once. In the first, Francisco Lindor lined a double off of Pete Crow Armstrong’s glove, but he was stranded at second.
However, before
the Mets came up to bat a second time, they were already deep in the hole. Kodai Senga walked the second batter of the game in Michael Busch, who was pushed to third on an Alex Bregman single. Senga struck out Ian Happ and looked close to getting out of the jam. However, a Seiya Suzuki single put the Cubs up 1-0. One batter later, Moisés Ballesteros hit a three run shot to left field, and the Mets were down four.
However, the Mets showed some fight in the second, when Francisco Alvarez and MJ Melendez each singled to start the frame. Marcus Semien then hit a sharp double to left, scoring Alvy. After a Brett Baty strikeout, Tyrone Taylor hit a two-run single, bringing the Mets within one.
However, the Cubs came roaring back in the bottom of the inning. With a walked Dansby Swanson on first, Nico Hoerner homered to left, the it was all of a sudden it was a three-run lead.
Senga made it to the fourth, effectively bettering his disastrous start against the Athletics, but was pulled after Swanson singled with one out. Huascar Brazobán was first out of the bullpen, and he induced fairly weak contact, but good speed (Hoerner) and bad defense (Brett Baty x2) led to an additional run.
If there is good news from the offensive side of this game, it is that the Mets were making solid contact all game, and would’ve had a couple extra singles if not for some very, very good defense. Bo Bichette in particular got good wood on the ball a few times, but it was hit in the wrong places. This is cold comfort, but it is better than the team looking totally listless.
Sean Manaea relieved Brazobán and looked good in the fifth and sixth innings, with Manaea’s diminished stuff looking fine. However, in the seventh, the wheels came off. This is exactly what happened after Happ flew out for the first out: Suzuki double, a Matt Shaw double (Suzuki scores), a Carson Kelly single, a Crow-Armstrong walk, a wild pitch to Swanson (Shaw scores), followed by a Swanson sac fly (Kelly scores), and Hoerner grounded out. It was 10-3 Chicago after seven.
In the eighth, Jacob “I hit Kevin Pillar in the face but I seem like a good dude” Webb relieved Riley Martin, and promptly gave up three hits. Lindor reached on an infield hit, Luis Robert Jr. lined a double down the left-field line, and Alvarez legged out a swinging bunt, allowing Lindor to score. After a MJ Melendez strikeout, Semien lofted a ball to left to load the bases for Mark Vientos. Vientos it a grounder to short, which was turned into a double play, and the threat was over.
Despite looking like cooked bread, Manaea returned for the eighth and gave up a two-run dinger to Happ to put the Cubs up by eight. The Mets went quietly in the top of the ninth, and the longest losing streak in 22 years continues.
Freddy Peralta will try to stop the skid tomorrow against Jameson Taillon at 2:20 EDT.
SB Nation GameThreads
Amazin’ Avenue
Bleed Cubbie Blue
Box scores
Win Probability Added
Big Mets winner: LOL
Big Mets loser: Kodai Senga, -42.0% WPA
Mets pitchers: -46.0% WPA
Mets hitters: -4.0% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Marcus Semien’s RBI double, +10.1% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Moisês Ballesteros’s three-run home, -20.6% WPA
