Mets' skid hits 10 as Peralta's efforts undone immediately after he exits

CHICAGO -- If there was ever a matchup to snap the Mets’ nine-game skid -- this was it.

Freddy Peralta, who owned more wins (nine) and struck out more batters (131) against the Cubs than any other team in his career from his time with the Brewers, made his first start against the North Siders as a Met on Saturday in familiar territory at Wrigley Field.

Instead of playing stopper, however, Peralta was unable to finish the sixth inning in the Mets’ 4-2 loss. New York has now lost 10 straight for the first time since dropping 11 in a row in 2004. That club finished 71-91.

The reality of the Mets’ situation is noticeable in the clubhouse. The team is frustrated, and a silent room of 26 players represents that. A team with World Series ambitions and a handful of superstars was not supposed to be tied for the worst record in MLB through 21 games.

“They have all the right to be pissed and frustrated,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of the outside noise. “They care just like we do. We care here. We want to win as much as they do. But again, so much I can say here, because we got to go out and do it. I understand how they’re feeling. I’d be pissed too if I’m a fan. I’m pissed. They’re pissed.”

The bottom line is this -- yes, the Mets have lost 10 in a row. But so did the Guardians a year ago, who won the AL Central. New York (7-14) has a lot of winning to do to get anywhere near matching that historic run, but there is time. This clubhouse isn’t dwelling on past games, because it can’t afford to.

“It’s hard, but nobody’s going to feel sorry for us, you got to keep going,” Mendoza said. “We haven’t been playing good baseball. … But when you look at it, you have five and a half months ahead of you. We have an opportunity to write our own story. We are putting ourselves in a big hole right now, but there’s only one way to [get out of it], just come back tomorrow ready to go.”

For a majority of the game, it looked like the skid could end Saturday. Peralta was matching zeros with Cubs starter Jameson Taillon until two outs in the sixth inning. That’s when the game quickly turned in the opponents’ favor -- something all too familiar for the Mets during this stretch.

Peralta walked back-to-back hitters to force Mendoza to pull the right-hander at 93 pitches (54 strikes). Left-hander Brooks Raley was brought in to escape the jam, but a first-pitch cutter in the middle of the zone to pinch-hitter Carson Kelly landed 405 feet away in the left-field bleachers to give the Cubs a 4-1 lead -- Raley’s first homer allowed since 2023.

“Every game’s been different,” second baseman Marcus Semien said of the streak. “Obviously we want to play better as an offense. Given up some big homers that have hurt us, but we’ve lost a lot of different ways. There is no pointing the finger at anything right now, it’s just a matter of coming out with a big win. If it takes a 12-10 victory, if it takes a 1-0 victory, we have to do something to get into the ‘W’ column.”

Lately, the latter has seemed the more possible scenario. Mark Vientos' Statcast-projected 434-foot blast was the Mets’ only run Saturday until a run scored on a throwing error in the eighth inning. New York has scored two runs or fewer in 11 of its 21 games this season, the most by a National League team.

“We haven’t been able to put together a complete game,” Mendoza said. “It’s either the offense, starting pitching, not making a pitch, not making a play, not getting the big hit. Just having a hard time playing a complete game right now.

“At the end of the day, it’s not what you say in here. You got to go out and play well.”

So far, the Mets have been unable to do that. They have been outscored 60-18 the past 10 games. Starting pitching entered the day with a 5.76 ERA during the skid. The Mets have scored more than two runs only twice in the past 10 games. All of that needs to be better.

“It’s happened. Those are the facts. But nobody is showing up thinking about how it’s going to happen again,” Semien said. “We are thinking about how we’re gonna win. That’s the attitude.”