The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night 3-2, losing the game in the later innings after Chicago took the lead for good with one swing.

With the game tied at 2-2 in the eighth inning, Drew Smith took the ball hoping to hold the score even. He retired Nick Madrigal for the first out but served up a fastball right down the middle to the next batter Mike Tauchman, who homered to give the Cubs a 3-2 lead.

Tauchman, who signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs before the season, has been amazing in the month of August. The left-hander came into Tuesday’s game slashing .375/.429/.625/1.054 this month and continued his dominant stretch with his second home run of the month against Smith in the eighth.

The Mets’ offense was unable to respond despite being down only one run. New York had runners on third and second with two outs in the eighth inning, but Jeff McNeil grounded out to end the threat. Francisco Lindor singled to start a Mets’ rally in the top of the ninth, but Alonso flew out and Daniel Vogelbach grounded out into a game-ending double play against Adbert Alzolay.

The only offense of the night for the Mets came from their hottest hitter — Pete Alonso. The Mets’ first baseman hit a two-run home run to center field in the first inning, giving New York an early 2-0 lead. Alonso has been scorching hot in the month of August, clubbing his fourth home run in his last 28 at-bats, and his eighth in his last 51 at-bats.

However, after the Alonso home run, Jameson Taillon settled in and shut down the Mets. The former Yankee allowed one hit the rest of the way and ended his night with seven strikeouts in seven innings. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, however, as Taillon came into Tuesday’s matchup with a 2.25 ERA against the Mets.

Meanwhile, Carlos Carrasco had a bounce-back start against the hottest team in the National League. The right-hander struck out five Cubs and allowed two runs across five innings of work, keeping the game within reach for the offense. It was a much-needed start from Carrasco, who allowed six earned runs to the Royals, the second-worst team in baseball, in his last start.

With their loss on Tuesday, the Mets’ record fell to a season-high 11 games under .500 (51-62). Meanwhile, the Cubs continued their push towards the post-season, winning their 16th game in their last 21 games while improving to 60-55.

Player of the Game

Pete Alonso was the player of the game on Tuesday against the Cubs. The first baseman hit his fourth home run in August and 34th of the season in the first inning, continuing his recent hot stretch where he has hit eight home runs in his last 51 at-bats.

With his two RBI, Alonso is now only three away from tying Keith Hernandez for the tenth most RBI in Mets franchise history (468).

On Deck

David Peterson takes the mound for the Mets as they go for the sweep of the Cubs. Peterson was solid for the Mets last time out, walking three Orioles across three scoreless innings in Baltimore. Meanwhile, the Cubs will counter with Kyle Hendricks. The veteran right-hander was knocked around in his last start, giving up seven earned runs in four innings against the Braves at Wrigley Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. The game will be televised on SNY and MLB Network (blackout restrictions apply). The radio broadcast can be listened to on WCBS 880.