Mets' skid reaches longest since '04 after another loss to Cubs

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Apr 18, 2026

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — The Mets’ losing streak has now hit double digits.

It almost felt inevitable. Tied with the Chicago Cubs at 1-1 for nearly four innings, something had to break, and the Mets, at the moment, are fundamentally broken. Right-hander Freddy Peralta came out of the game in the bottom of the sixth after getting the first two outs, then walking the next two batters.

Left-hander Brooks Raley came in to face left-handed Moisés Ballesteros, but the Cubs pinch hit for him with Carson Kelly, a right-handed-hitting backup catcher. Kelly swung on the first pitch he saw, a cutter, and drove it into the bleachers beyond left-center field.

The Mets lost, 4-2, on Saturday at Wrigley Field. They haven’t lost 10 straight since 2004, when they lost 11 in a row. The club’s longest streak is 17 games, set in 1962, the first year of the team’s existence.

Sure, the season is far from over, but at this rate, even if the Mets can eventually jump back into contention when Juan Soto returns, they could end up having to dig themselves out of this hole for the rest of the season. It’s not impossible to overcome this start and get to the postseason, but it will be if their run production remains this minimal.

Mark Vientos hit his second home run of the season in the second inning off right-hander Jameson Taillon to put the Mets on top 1-0. Unsurprisingly, the lead didn’t last. Ian Happ led off with a home run to center field in the bottom of the inning. Peralta had him on a full count but missed with his slider inside. Happ turned on it, taking it over the center-field fence for the tie.

Starting pitching has been just about the only reason for optimism around the Mets, but the Mets have seen some shaky pitching over their last few games. Outside of the second inning, Peralta (1-2) looked good until the sixth when his command started to waver. The right-hander was charged with three earned runs on three hits, with those two walks being particularly detrimental. He struck out three in the loss.

Taillon (1-1) held the Mets to one earned run on five hits. He gave the Mets chances, especially with three walks, but they were unable to capitalize with traffic on the bases.

They scored an unearned run in the eighth inning. Vientos had an opportunity to tie the game when he faced right-hander Ben Brown with runners on first and second. He hit a ground ball to the third baseman for the third out.

Left-hander Caleb Theilbar converted the save with a scoreless ninth.

The Mets (7-14) conclude the series against the Cubs (11-9) on Sunday. The beauty of baseball is that there is always another day to change the narrative, but no matter what day it is, the Mets seem to be getting the same results.