The New York Mets have now lost ten in a row after losing to the Chicago Cubs 4-2 on Saturday. Freddy Peralta pitched solidly, but he’d probably like to have his last two at-bats back as they resulted in walks and opened the door for the Cubs to break through a 1-1 tie game. Brooks Raley allowed a three-run home run to Carson Kelly, and the Mets’ offense once again had no answer. New York is now 7-14, they’ve lost ten straight for the first time since the Art Howe era in 2004, and the struggles continue.
Peralta Pitches Well, Up Until the End
The Mets acquired Peralta in the offseason to be a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. Their ace. Part of that job is to stop the bleeding, and the Mets right now are bleeding heavily. Peralta gave them a great outing against the Athletics last Sunday, but New York’s offense was shut down and wasted his performance. On Saturday, Peralta gave the Mets 5 2/3 productive innings, with the only blemish being a solo home run allowed to Ian Happ in the second inning. Peralta threw over 30 pitches in that inning. In the sixth inning with two outs and nobody on, Peralta got two strikes on both Happ and Seiya Suzuki. However, he was unable to finish them off and walked both of them. The Happ walk on a changeup that missed low in the dirt, and Suzuki on a slider that missed low and outside.
Raley Falters
The Mets’ bullpen has been roughed up during this losing skid, and Raley fell victim to it in this game. Manager Carlos Mendoza took Peralta out at 93 pitches, with left-handed hitter Moises Ballestros coming up. Cubs skipper Craig Counsell countered with Kelly, who took a first-pitch cutter from Raley deep for a three-run homer. It was Raley’s first home run he’s allowed since 2023. Part of the struggles the Mets have had since last June has been pitchers not getting the last out when they need it. On Saturday, it once again showed its ugly head.
Vientos Homers, but Still Not Much Scoring for Limited Mets Bats
The 4-2 loss was more or less the same story for the Mets’ offense. Mark Vientos notched his second home run of the season with a towering 434-foot bomb in the top of the second inning. That gave New York a 1-0 lead. They were able to scratch out a run on a throwing error by Nico Hoerner in the eighth, but one batter later, Vientos would ground out with runners on base to end the Mets’ rally. New York has 21 hits in this series, but that’s only resulted in six runs. The Mets went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position in this game. On Friday, their offense went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
On Deck
The Mets will turn to the struggling David Peterson on Sunday, as the Cubs will pitch Javier Assad. Game time is at 2:20, and it will be telecast on SNY and broadcast on WHSQ 880am.
