The Cubs completed a three-game sweep at Citi Field by defeating the Mets 4-1 on Thursday night. Chicago extended the Mets losing streak to six games, despite entering the series 14 games under .500 on the road.
Victor Caratini was tonight’s star, hitting two home runs off of Jacob deGrom. The second HR was a back-breaking three-run shot to the Coca-Cola Corner in the seventh.
The Mets now trail the Cubs by five games for the National League’s second Wild Card spot.
Pitching
Jacob deGrom went seven innings, striking out seven and allowing four earned runs. Following Caratini’s solo home run in the second, deGrom was sharp – retiring 15 in a row – before finding trouble in the seventh. That trouble was a three-run homer by Caratini.
DeGrom entered tonight’s game with a streak of 17 straight starts allowing three or fewer earned runs.
Seth Lugo took the mound for the first time in six days and continued his dominance with a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
Jeurys Familia kept the deficit at three, escaping a jam in the ninth, thanks to a double play started by Todd Frazier.
Offense
The Mets failed to capitalize on early opportunities – stranding six men through the first three innings. The Mets generated only five hits for the game, recording one hit after the third inning. The lone New York run came off J.D. Davis‘ 18th HR of the season in the first.
Wilson Ramos extended his hitting streak to a MLB-best 22 games in the same inning. He was 2-for-4 with a double. Michael Conforto went 1-for-3 with a walk.
On Deck
The Mets look to snap their losing streak by heading to Philly for a showdown with the Phillies. Zack Wheeler will take the mound against Philadelphia ace Aaron Nola on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. in Philadelphia.
