CHICAGO — If there is a baseball hell, the Mets have found it and are threatening to establish permanent residence.
The elements of underachievement change daily, but the constant is the Mets lose. And lose. And lose.
Saturday their futility reached double digits. They fell 4-2 to the Cubs at Wrigley Field for a 10th straight loss — one short of the club’s longest losing streak in 22 years.
The Mets avoided the embarrassment of a day earlier, when Kodai Senga’s awful performance and sloppy defense were on display, but still played badly enough to continue their free fall.
That meant an anemic offensive showing and a sixth-inning breakdown by Freddy Peralta and Brooks Raley.
Peralta was rolling for a second straight start, but lost the strike zone with two outs in the sixth in a 1-1 game, walking Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. Manager Carlos Mendoza summoned Raley and one pitch later the game tilted: pinch hitter Carson Kelly blasted a three-run homer. The Mets never recovered.
It marked the eighth time in the losing streak the Mets scored two runs or fewer.
Peralta allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 5 ²/₃ innings. His shortcoming was failing to record the final out in the sixth.
Mark Vientos’ homer in the second gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. Vientos jumped on a four-seamer from Jameson Taillon and blasted it 434 feet to the left field bleachers for his second homer this season. Later in the inning, Marcus Semien singled and Carson Benge walked before Bo Bichette was retired to end the threat.
Ian Happ’s homer leading off the bottom of the inning tied it 1-1. Peralta plunked Suzuki and allowed a single to Miguel Amaya, escaping trouble by retiring Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson in succession.
Luis Robert Jr. singled in the third inning and was thrown out attempting to steal second. Marcus Semien walked leading off the fifth, but the inning concluded with Bichette’s double-play grounder. MJ Melendez drew a two-out walk in the sixth before Tailon retired Francisco Alvarez.
Peralta got two quick outs in the sixth, but never concluded the inning. Happ walked before Peralta ran the count full to Suzuki and threw a slider that missed low and away. Raley replaced Peralta and Kelly crushed his first pitch over the left field wall to bury the Mets in a 4-1 hole.
Nico Hoerner’s throwing error gave the Mets an unearned run in the eighth after Bichette and Francisco Lindor had singled in the inning. Vientos, batting with the tying runs on base and two outs, grounded out to end the threat.
Tailon stifled the Mets, allowing one earned run on five hits and three walks over six innings. The right-hander was removed after 100 pitches.