CHICAGO -- If there was ever a matchup to snap the Mets’ nine-game skid -- this was it.
Freddy Peralta, who owns more wins (nine) and has 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. It is the first time since New York lost 11 straight in 2004 that the Mets have had a double-digit losing streak. That club finished the season 71-91.
But for a majority of the game, Peralta was matching zeros with Cubs starter Jameson Taillon. It wasn’t until two outs in the sixth inning that 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 manager Carlos 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.
Outside of a solo homer in the second inning by Ian Happ, Peralta had shut down the Cubs’ offense through five frames. Only one batter reached in the other four frames as he mixed in his fastball (54% usage), changeup (19%) and slider (12%). Yet he was charged with three earned runs as his ERA rose to 4.05 in five starts with New York since being acquired over the offseason.
The only run support Peralta got was a solo blast by Mark Vientos in the second inning, the club’s second home run in the past six games. The Mets scratched across a second run on a throwing error by Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner in the eighth, but went down 1-2-3 in the ninth. They have scored two runs or fewer in eight of their last 10 games.