The New York Mets will turn to right-hander Freddy Peralta to end its nine-game losing streak against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
The New York Mets enter play on Saturday having lost nine consecutive games, its longest losing streak since 2004, after losing the series opener against the Chicago Cubs 12-4 on Friday.
The Mets were down four runs by the end of the first inning, with the big blow being a three-run home run by designated hitter Moises Ballesteros. New York stormed back with three runs in the second, but Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner ripped a two-run blast to left to go back up three runs, effectively removing the wind from the Mets’ proverbial sails.
Right-hander Kodai Senga surrendered six runs on six hits and three walks over 3.1 innings, striking out three. His ERA now sits at 8.83 and his WHIP at 1.90. Chicago righty Edward Cabrera completed six innings and allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks while fanning four.
The Cubs have scored at least seven runs in five straight contests and have scored 10 or more over its last three games. At a time of desperation, this isn’t a club the Mets wanted to run into.
Saturday’s game is potentially New York’s best chance at snapping the losing streak, as the Mets turn to right-hander Freddy Peralta to face Cubs righty Jameson Taillon. Peralta struggled his last couple of times out against the Cubs as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, but his overall body of work against the North Siders is great.
New York will need that version of Peralta in hopes of silencing Chicago’s red-hot offense and getting back in the win column. Peralta has had a couple of good starts and a couple of not-so-good starts to begin his Mets tenure, but his last time out he allowed one run on four hits and three walks with six strikeouts over six innings against the Athletics. Peralta will take on this familiar Cubs lineup:
1. Hoerner (2B)
2. Michael Busch (1B)
3. Alex Bregman (3B)
4. Ian Happ (LF)
5. Seiya Suzuki (RF)
6. Ballesteros (DH)
7. Miguel Amaya (C)
8. Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF)
9. Dansby Swanson (SS)
Besides Hoerner and Ballesteros being on hot streaks, Peralta should pay extra attention to Bregman (2-for-5 lifetime) and Crow-Armstrong (6-for-15, HR). Otherwise, the rest of the lineup has struggled mightily against “Fastball Freddy.”
Taillon toes the rubber for Chicago and has had mixed results. His first two starts were solid, including a six-inning, three-run quality start against the Tampa Bay Rays, but his last time out he allowed six runs on six hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts over six innings versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. He takes on the following Mets lineup:
1. Carson Benge (LF)
2. Bo Bichette (3B)
3. Francisco Lindor (SS)
4. Luis Robert Jr. (CF)
5. MJ Melendez (DH)
6. Francisco Alvarez (C)
7. Mark Vientos (1B)
8. Brett Baty (RF)
9. Marcus Semien (2B)
Bichette (9-for-24), Melendez (3-for-5), Alvarez (3-for-5, HR) and Baty (2-for-2, HR) have great numbers against Taillon in their careers.
First pitch is at 2:20 p.m. EDT on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.